I am writing to you on behalf of the Iona Community in connection with the recent refusal of the Latvian government to proceed further with the ratification of the Istanbul Convention, whose aim is to combat violence and to protect women from gender-based violence, especially domestic violence.
We are an ecumenical Christian community located in Scotland, but whose members are all over Europe. The core values of our communal life, especially our commitment to stand up for justice and peace, urge us to affirm the following:
“We believe that the gospel commands us to seek a peace founded on justice..” We are convinced that everyone has the right to a full quality of life and to dignity. This requires adequate practical, physical, social and political opportunities, free from the kind of oppression and discrimination brought by poverty, injustice and fear.”
Therefore we support the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and stand against the opposition of some church leaders to this ratification. We believe that Christians’ first duty is to the victims of violence, to those who are most vulnerable, and to those women who have suffered greatly, unsupported by the churches – the very churches that ought to do the most to stand against the structural and systemic causes of violence against women.
We are glad that the government of the United Kingdom is in the process of ratifying the Convention and that the Scottish government recently, as part of the ratification process, unanimously passed the Domestic Abuse Act.
We hold in high regard those Christians in Latvia who have spoken out in favour of ratification and who suffer or have suffered for it. We commend you for your solidarity with the victims of violence and stand together with you in prayer, and we support you in your resistance, persistence and perseverance.
Rev. Dr. Kathryn Galloway,
Leader of the Iona Community
Prayers and support from the women of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
The warmest blessings are also wished by Elaine Cameron (member of the Iona Community).