Rosa Women’s Association Chair Adalet Kaya reacted to the Istanbul Convention withdrawal and drew attention that the withdrawal will make women the target of violence, “We give up neither our rights nor our right to life.”

Amed –The reactions to Turkey’s withdrawal from Istanbul Convention by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are growing day by day. Last night, women in all cities of Turkey made noise by banging pots, pans, and other utensils from their windows and balconies while women in Istanbul took to the streets in many districts of Istanbul and said, “We don’t recognize the decision”. Rosa Women’s Association Chair Adalet Kaya is one of the women reacting to the withdrawal. Noting that the decision is an attack against women’s gains, Adalet Kaya expressed that the women’s gains are being usurped.

“This convention is a human rights document for women”

Stating that women have struggled for years for the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, Adalet Kaya told us, “They (AKP) had discourses and policies claiming “(the convention) it was a family enemy” or “We will abolish the convention”. They tried to discredit the Istanbul Convention. They enacted this unlawfulness. Withdrawal from the convention by a Presidential decree is illegal, it is null and void. As women’s organizations and women waging a struggle for their rights, we do not recognize this practice. The Istanbul Convention belongs to us. We will keep struggling more for it. This convention is a human rights document for women. It protects women from all forms of violence.”

“The withdrawal makes women the target of violence”

“Anyway, the convention wasn’t implemented for years,” Adalet Kaya said that women have been killed everywhere, in the streets, at their homes, by their closest relatives. “Everywhere we shouted that this is a gendercide. This withdrawal shows how the state avoids developing anti-violence policies. The withdrawal directly makes women the target of violence. This is a very dangerous situation for women. Women will probably face violence everywhere in this situation. This withdrawal means that.”

“We don’t give up our right to life”

Adalet Kaya told us that they will never recognize the withdrawal decision, “We have struggled for years for the implementation of this convention. We never give up on this convention. This decision is illegal. We give up neither our rights nor our right to life. We have made great efforts for the implementation of this convention for years. We will struggle against the response to our efforts.”