TURKEY: Women’s Platform reports increase in Femicide: 17 women killed by men in May

ISTANBUL – Since Turkey’s decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, the number of cases of femicide in Turkey continues to increase. According to a report by the We Will Stop Femicide Platform (Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu), in the month of May, the rate of male violence and the killing of women by men did not decrease. Men killed 17 women in May in Turkey. Twenty women were found dead under suspicious circumstances.

According to the report, of the 17 women killed in May, 2 were murdered by their son, 1 by an acquaintance, 1 by her father, 7 by their husbands, 3 by their ex-husbands, 1 by her partner, and 1 by her ex-partner. In 1 case, the relationship of the woman to the killer could not be determined. The report also states that 10 of the murdered women were killed in their homes, 2 in the middle of the street, 1 in a deserted place, 1 in the field, and 1 in an abandoned building. The place of 3 femicides could not be confirmed.

Gender-based violence continues to increase

Regarding the violence against and the murder of women, the report states that, “if there will be no transparent and fair trials, if the suspects, accused, and murderers do not receive lawful and deterrent punishments, and if no preventive measures are implemented, femicide and violence against women will continue to increase.”

The Platform calls for serious and concrete steps to stop the killings of women, “While it is the responsibility of the state to disclose the reality of femicide and suspicious female deaths, it is also the duty of the state to implement concrete solutions to stop femicide. We will continue to struggle for the mobilization of all relevant ministries and implementation of all mechanisms to for force the Turkish state to fulfill its duty.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a decree in April of this year that Turkey would withdraw from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention). Turkey was the first country to sign the Convention and was the first to withdraw from it.

This article was originally published in Turkish by Gazete Sabro

Mayıs’ta erkekler 17 kadını öldürdü, 20 kadının ölümü ise şüpheli

Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu’nun raporuna göre, erkekler Mayıs ayında 17 kadını öldürdü, 20 kadın ise şüpheli şekilde ölü bulundu. https://t.co/np1ZVvFn9s pic.twitter.com/M1wMrBHX5D

— Gazete Sabro (@gazetesabro) June 4, 2021