In Budapest, Lívia once called the police as her husband beat her—and officers who witnessed the abuse told her they could do nothing “unless blood flows.” More than a decade later, Hungary’s government has pledged a different approach to violence against women.
On November 12, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said his government intends to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence, widely known as the Istanbul Convention. The pledge is part of a broader package meant to strengthen the protection and dignity of women and girls. Ratification would bind Hungary to standards for preventing violence, protecting victims and survivors, and holding perpetrators accountable. Those protections also cover people without secure immigration status.
The proposed measures address several gaps in support and justice. The government says it would strengthen enforcement of restraining orders, make the misuse of intimate images a distinct criminal offense, and add special protections for victims and survivors of intimate partner violence during criminal proceedings. It also plans to remove the prescription requirement for emergency contraception and scrap a rule known as the “heartbeat decree.” That rule requires women seeking abortions to listen to embryonic or fetal cardiac activity. The package also aims to help women and girls who need menstrual products.
The pledge comes after an earlier attempt to ratify the convention was blocked in 2020, when parliament was controlled by a two-thirds majority of the Fidesz/KDNP ruling coalition. The renewed commitment is significant, but the experience of Lívia shows why promises need to lead to practical changes. In 2013, she told Human Rights Watch that she had repeatedly sought police help. Officers had even seen her husband beating her, yet she was told they could not act unless she was visibly bleeding. Other women described similar treatment; some said they eventually stopped calling for help.
Ratification alone will not ensure that survivors receive protection. The government should draw up an implementation plan with victims, survivors and women’s rights groups, and provide police with specialized training on intimate partner violence. Officers need to know how to assess risk, respond to credible threats and work with courts to enforce protection orders. The country also needs enough shelter spaces, legal aid and counseling services, with funding to make them available nationwide.
Public data could help show whether the changes are working. Authorities should collect and publish information on police responses and breaches of protection orders so that survivors and the public can assess progress. The real measure will come when someone like Lívia calls for help again. No one should have to bleed before police and other authorities act.