Several thousand people marched through the Croatian capital on Saturday in protest against a European treaty designed to protect women.

The demonstration gathered up to 10,000 people according to journalists' estimates and was held two days after conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's government sent the treaty for ratification by the parliament.

The Council of Europe convention -- the world's first binding instrument to prevent and combat violence against women, from marital rape to female genital mutilation -- has split the country.

The Balkan nation's conservatives, supported by the Catholic Church along with hardliners from the ruling HDZ party, oppose the ratification.

They argue that under the guise of protecting women the so-called Istanbul Convention promotes what they call a "gender ideology" which would undermine the traditional family.

http://www.france24.com/en/20180324-thousands-croatians-protest-treaty-protect-women