Turkey
Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
Women protest as Turkey quits violence-on-women treaty
Jul 1, 2021 – Thousands of people took to the streets of Turkey’s largest cities on Thursday to protest against the country’s withdrawal from an international treaty to combat violence against women, a move that has drawn strong criticism from Western allies.
> reuters.com/turkey-formally-quits-treaty-prevent-violence-against-women
Turkey’s Withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention
A Sudden Presidential Decision in the Dead of the Night and an Alarming Setback
Mar 27, 2021 – As the 65th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is in progress, feminists from around the world are shocked by Turkey’s sudden decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention. The withdrawal was announced with the Presidential Decision No. 3718, published in the Official Gazette on 20th of March, in the small hours. Just a couple of days prior to the presidential decision, Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk, the Minister of Family, Social Services and Labour has pled “As Turkey, we work day and night with no hesitation based on our principle of zero tolerance for violence during the pandemic…” in a CSW side event hosted by Turkey.
82 women were killed in Turkey during the first 82 days of 2021 according to “Anıt Sayaç”, an online monument dedicated to commemorate women who lost their lives to domestic violence. For 2020, the number of these femicides was reported as 300, with 179 additional suspicious deaths according to the data compiled by the NGO ‘We Will Stop Femicides’. Gender-based violence is a deeply-rooted issue in Turkey. In reaction, the strong and well-organized women’s movement has held numerous protests demanding the government to address the issue and to fully implement Istanbul Convention and the domestic Law No. 6284 to Protect Family and Prevent Violence against Woman, enacted pursuant to the Istanbul Convention’s obligations.
> voelkerrechtsblog.org/turkeys-withdrawal-from-the-istanbul-convention/