The ratification of the Istanbul Convention only increases the risks of a forced gender ideology in Ukraine, primarily in the educational sphere. With this in mind, the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations confirms its position on the inexpediency of implementing the Istanbul Convention and calls on the Ukrainian public to support initiatives aimed at denouncing this document.

In particular, the UCCRO recommends to support Petition No. 22/146508-EP on denunciation of the Istanbul Convention, published on the website of the President of Ukraine.

Most of the positive changes in the field of countering domestic violence, that are highlighted by supporters of the Istanbul Convention, have already been achieved thanks to the introduction of changes to the legislation of Ukraine in 2017, without resorting to the promotion of gender ideology. Believers of different faiths, parent communities, and deputies of local councils have repeatedly protested against the legislative implementation of the concept of “gender self-identification”, which is promoted by the Istanbul Convention. 

At the same time, it is becoming increasingly obvious that there is a tendency of adherents of natural marital relations (between a woman and a man), and traditional for Ukrainian people family values being persecuted, defamed, and restricted in their freedom of expression. Instead of dialogue and discussion on problematic issues of the Istanbul Convention, we see that individual politicians, human rights defenders, and the media resort to manipulation and using hate speech against religious organizations. 

It is important to recall that in response to the comments of the UCCRO members to the Istanbul Convention during the meeting on December 17, 2021, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured the UCCRO representatives, that he will not sign any important document without dialogue with the heads of churches and religious organizations. However, despite this promise, the ratification of the Istanbul Convention was initiated, the desired vote in Parliament was secured, and the signing was carried out without such preliminary consultations. Warnings from religious communities, public organizations, and more than a hundred local councils representing territorial communities of various levels (regions, cities, etc.) were not taken into account.

The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations from its side, will continue to actively promote the fight against evils such as domestic violence, thereby truly protecting the traditional moral, spiritual, and family values of the Ukrainian people, which come from the natural state of affairs. 

The UCCRO believes that in order to combat domestic violence, it would be better not to introduce the Istanbul Convention, but to improve the national legislation of Ukraine and practical mechanisms for its implementation: expand the network of shelters for women with children, strengthen responsibility for abusers and legal means of influencing them to prevent the recurrence of violence, respond to reports and investigate cases of domestic violence based on the statements of witnesses, not just victims, etc.