ARJÎN DİLEK ÖNCEL

Amed- Women struggle against the spiral of violence all over the world. Türkiye ranks the worst among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries for violence against women.

On May 11, 2011, the Istanbul Convention was opened for signature in Istanbul and Türkiye became the first country to ratify the convention on May 12, 2011.  In July 2021, Türkiye withdrew from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention. The decision came to effect on July 1, 2021. Following the withdrawal from the convention, the AKP said, “domestic law is sufficient” to combat gender-based violence and they had “zero tolerance” for violence against women.

Since the withdrawal from the convention, the rate of femicide in the country has increased by 162 percent, showing that Türkiye’s domestic law is insufficient to combat violence against women.

For years, women in Türkiye have chanted the “budget for women, not for war” slogan; however, The budget allocated to Türkiye’s Ministry of Family and Social Services has decreased.

Violence against women

Violence against women have become more visible in the country due to some factors, said Seher Bayar, a women's rights activist and sociologist. “Women are the ones who suffer from inequality the most. Unfortunately, violence against women is seen as normal due to cultural factors, traditions and customs, and social structures.”

Cultural factors and marginalization

Seher Bayar thinks that the language used by the ruling party increases gender-based violence in the country. “This masculine language affects society. The language used by the government marginalizes women and causes an increase in gender-based violence.

President Erdoğan declared 2025 as the “Year of Family” in Türkiye. “Declaring this year as the year of the family will not end gender-based violence and femicide,” said Seher Bayar, stressing that the language used by the media also has an effect on gender-based violence and femicide. “We saw how the language used by the media is important in the Narin Güran murder case. The photos of the victim are published everywhere. The photos of the perpetrator must be published, not the victim. The language used by the media sometimes legitimizes murders.”

Sexual crimes against children

Seher Bayar also talked about the increase in sexual crimes against children in the country. “Awareness-raising activities are needed to combat crimes against children. Children should be taught that no one can touch them.”

‘Women’s struggle brings change’

Women continue to struggle against all the challenges. “Women’s struggle brings change. They struggle to improve themselves and want to build a safe future for children. The effective implementation of law combating violence against women is a must. The implementation of law and social change can solve the problems.”