Conservative forces in Poland both members and nonmembers of government are increasing their efforts to reject the 2011 European Council Convention, known as the Istanbul Convention, which deals with combating violence against women and domestic violence, but radically changing the structure of society. The agreement will be replaced by another treaty aimed at enhancing the rights of 'traditional families'. If it is successful, it could lead to the establishment of a regional alliance in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe and potentially hamper the implementation of the convention and LGBT. Poland is already under fire by the EU because the municipalities in the lands that make up a third of the Polish territory have now taken their own decisions against what they mock "LGBT ideology".

The dispute over the Istanbul Convention made headlines earlier this summer, when Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro made an official request to the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy to initiate a lawsuit to pull the country out of the Istanbul Convention. Known for his strict Catholic views, Ziobro argued that the Istanbul Convention violates gender concepts and targets the family, marriage, and social culture that is currently functioning. The Istanbul Convention, ratified by Poland in 2015, links violence against women to masculinity and sexuality between men and women, and defines gender as interchangeable as "socially constructed roles". Ziobro's statement caused strong reactions among both advocates and critics of the Istanbul Convention. On 30 July, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that he was asking the Polish constitutional court to examine whether the Istanbul Convention is in line with the Polish constitution or not. He also claimed that Poland has already initiated international cooperation to find a better solution to combat domestic violence than the Istanbul Convention. On the same day, Polish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Pawel Jablonski wrote on Twitter that his ministry has initiated diplomatic activities to adopt another international treaty or a convention protecting the families rights. Studies are being conducted between Eastern and Southeastern European countries to define a new international agreement for the protection of the family.

Taken from mirathaber.com