Hungary plans to ratify Istanbul Convention as Magyar unveils women's protection package

In brief

• Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has announced a package of measures to protect women from violence.
• The plan includes ratifying the Istanbul Convention, which the previous government refused to ratify.
• The package also eases access to emergency contraception and scraps a rule on fetal heartbeat checks before abortion.

Government announces women's protection package

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar presented a comprehensive set of measures aimed at combating all forms of violence against women. He announced the package on Facebook in a video address on Thursday, 12 November. (Istanbul-Konvention: Ungarns Regierung will Frauenschutzabkommen beitreten – ZEIT ONLINE) (Maďarský premiér Magyar ohlásil ratifikáciu Istanbulského dohovoru – HNonline.sk)

Istanbul Convention ratification

The centerpiece of the plan is the ratification of the Council of Europe's Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Hungary signed the treaty in 2014, but successive governments refused to ratify it. Magyar called ratification a long-overdue obligation for the Hungarian state. The convention requires member states to criminalize rape based on the absence of consent. (Мадяр оголосив про плани ініціювати ратифікацію Стамбульської конвенції – Європейська правда)

The TISZA parliamentary group will submit the ratification proposal to parliament, backed by 44 women lawmakers from the governing party.

Changes to abortion and emergency contraception rules

The government also plans to ease access to emergency contraception. Women would no longer need a prescription to obtain it. (Magyarova vláda usnadní přístup k nouzové antikoncepci a ratifikuje Istanbulskou úmluvu – iROZHLAS)

Additionally, the cabinet intends to scrap a controversial rule requiring a check for fetal heartbeat before an abortion.

Criminal law and victim protection

According to Magyar, the government will amend the Criminal Code. Unlawful distribution of intimate images would become a criminal offence, and victims of domestic violence would receive special status during criminal proceedings.

The opposition-era debate over these issues has been long-running, and the reforms mark a visible departure from Orbán's policies, which rejected the convention as "gender ideology."