The administration of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey decided recently to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention.
The Convention is a European Treaty on domestic violence which aims to prevent and combat violence against women.
This was made public on Saturday morning from the country’s Official Gazette.
Turkey had signed the convention in 2011, and the nation had even hosted the meetings in Istanbul, hence the name ”Istanbul Treaty.”
Kadına yönelik şiddet her şeyden önce bir insanlık suçudur ve bu suçla mücadele bir insan hakları meselesidir. Aslolan ilkelerdir.
Bu doğrultuda şiddetle mücadelemizi dün olduğu gibi bugün de yarın da sıfır tolerans ilkesi ile kararlılıkla sürdüreceğiz.#GüçlüKadınGüçlüTürkiye— Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk (@ZehraZumrutS) March 20, 2021
Turkey’s Family, Labor, and Social Services Minister said late on Friday night that ”Violence against women is above all a crime against humanity and combating this crime is a human rights issue. Principles are essential.”
However, she did not explain the reasons why Turkey withdraws from a Treaty that tries to do exactly that: Eliminate violence against women.
”In this direction, we will continue our fight against violence with the principle of zero tolerance today. and tomorrow as we did yesterday,” the minister noted.
Domestic Violence in Turkey is a serious problem
Domestic violence in Turkey has been a serious problem for decades. In 2013, a poll conducted by Turkey’s popular Hurriyet newspaper found that 34 percent of Turkish men think violence against women is occasionally necessary.
Additionally, the poll showed that 28 percent of the participants say violence can be used against women.
Patriarchal attitudes towards women are considered a reason why Turkey has a high prevalence of domestic violence.
Honor killings have been a method of domestic violence used in Turkey for centuries, as society has been particularly conservative in issues regarding family ethics.
According to data from the World Health Organization, approximately four out of ten of women in Turkey (38 percent) are subject to domestic violence from a husband or partner in their lifetime.
The figure for Europe is still high, at 25 percent, however, it is significantly lower compared to Turkey’s.
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