The opposition LMP party on Thursday submitted a proposal to parliament, calling for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention against violence against women.
LMP lawmaker Krisztina Hohn told an online press conference marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women that Hungary’s parliament had for years “failed to incorporate the convention into the Hungarian legal system, despite its important elements on prevention of domestic violence and victim protection.”
More stringent punishments for such cases, as enshrined in criminal law, fail to meet their mark, as domestic violence often remains undisclosed, she said.
The lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic have exacerbated the problem, Hohn said, and called on politicians to strengthen the social signalling systems, as well as on private citizens to come forward if they witness domestic violence.
featured image: Krisztina Hohn in the Parliament; via Szilárd Koszticsák/MTI