In a communication, the Ministry of Justice has called upon the opposition to stop intentionally and continually misleading the Hungarian people in the context of the ratification of the Istanbul Convention because by doing so they do not help women.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Justice told the Hungarian news agency MTI that, in the spirit of zero tolerance, they are combatting violence against women and domestic violence with a complex package of measures and consistent legislation.

In contrast to some opposition politicians’ claims which merely seek to set an anti-government atmosphere, the government has built and is operating a comprehensive system for assisting and protecting victims, they pointed out, adding that throughout the country some 300 protected accommodation facilities operated jointly by the state and civil-society partners are available for victims of violence.

Victim assistance services are also available throughout the country, operating under the auspices of the regional and local government offices. The claim therefore that the ratification of the Istanbul Convention would in any way change the situation of women in Hungary is completely misleading, they highlighted.

They added that at the Ministry of Justice 2020 is a year for assisting victims. As part of this, they are doubling the capacity of victim assistance services, for the purpose of which they will spend hundreds of millions of forints in order to turn the system of victim assistance centres into a nation-wide network.

In addition to the proposal which seeks to tighten the rules relating to conditional release, the Ministry has also set up a family law task force, they highlighted in continuation, indicating that they are reviewing the entire body of family law regulations. They are additionally doing everything they can, with the involvement of civil society, in order to rise to all challenges related to the subject with reassuring and long-term answers.

“The Hungarian government regards effective action against every form of violence against women as one of its most important priorities, and this goal is continuously reflected and enforced in the government’s legislative efforts,” they stressed.

They added, however, that they do not support the ratification of the Istanbul Convention because some of its provisions are contrary to Hungary’s migration policy, and they likewise do not wish to embrace the concept of ‘gender’ or the Convention’s gender ideology in Hungarian law.

“In contrast to the opposition, we believe in genuine action, rather than exploiting the difficult situations of others, victims in particular, for political purposes,” the communication of the Ministry of Justice reads.

(MTI)