SERPİL SAVUMLU

 Istanbul- Men kill women in Turkey almost every day; there is an overall increase in the number of femicides and suspicious deaths of women. There is no official data on femicide and violence against women in the country so women’s organizations and news agency compile data on femicide and violence against women from local, national newspapers and news agencies. From 2018 and 2023, 1,897 women were killed by men and 1,123 women died under suspicious circumstances in Turkey, according to data compiled from local, national newspapers and news agencies.

Most victims were killed by their intimate partners for making decisions about their own lives. 43.6 percent of women do not feel safe at their home, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK). As the International Women’s Day is approaching, the most important topics of women in Turkey are the statements made about femicide, the policy of impunity, the attacks on women’s gains and activists.

Despite arbitrary detention and arrest and the oppression and intimidation policies, women activists resist for women’s rights.

NuJINHA spoke to Dilek Başalan, president of the Women's Time Association (Turkish: Kadın Zamanı Derneği) about the agenda of women.

 ‘The most important reason for the increase is impunity’

“There is an increase not only in femicide but also all forms of violence against women,” she said. “If you are a woman living in Turkey, you are subjected to all forms of violence such as psychological, economic violence and mobbing. The most important reason for the increase in femicide and gender-based violence is the policy of impunity.

“We do not say that the perpetrators of violence against women and femicide should remain in prison forever; however, the recent omnibus bill including new regulations on supervised release. While political prisoners or women defending their lives cannot enjoy from supervised release, the perpetrators of femicide, rape and sexual violence can enjoy it. For instance, a man was arrested after stabbing his wife. Then, he killed his wife after being released under judicial control. The lawmakers should sit down and think about this incident. They should ask, ‘What do we do wrong?’ Killing someone should not be so easy. Unfortunately, killing a woman is not considered a serious crime due to the current policies. Women are subjected to violence in all facets of life; pregnant women are beaten, we are subjected to verbal harassment when we laugh on the streets or because of our clothes. When we react to the harassers, we are subjected to physical violence. Such incidents will increase if the policy of impunity continues.”

‘Women keep taking to the streets to voice their demands’

On May 11, 2011, the Istanbul Convention was opened for signature in Istanbul and Turkey became the first country to ratify the convention on May 12, 2011. In 2021, Turkey became the first and only country to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention although women took to the streets to protest the decision of Turkey. Since Turkey’s withdrawal from the convention, women’s organizations and activists have demanded Turkey to ratify the convention again. Women’s organizations and activists have formed a platform named, “March 8 Women's Platform”. On the International Women’s Day, women will demand the convention be ratified by Turkey again. “As the platform, we had two meetings in a week. For years, we have held a feminist night march in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. On March 8,  tens of thousands of women will march in Istanbul. Despite everything, women keep taking to the streets to voice their demands.”

‘Kurdish women never had the Istanbul Convention’

Since Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention, Law No. 6284 to Protect Family and Prevent Violence against Women is the only law in Turkey protecting women from violence; however, it has not been effectively implemented. Speaking about their struggle for the effective implementation of Law No.6284, Dilek Başalan said, “As women’s organizations and human rights defenders, we demand the effective implementation of Law No.6284 in Istanbul but the law does not exists for women in Kurdish cities such as Diyarbakır, Batman and Van. Kurdish women never had the Istanbul Convention. The perpetrators of femicide and violence against women are not arrested in Kurdish cities while women are arrested for taking to the streets to demand their rights.”

‘They aim to isolate the Kurdish Women's Movement’

Dilek Başalan thinks that women are attacked because the ruling party is afraid of the power of women. In January 2024, Dilek Başalan was taken into custody. “Because I support the activities of the Kurdish Women’s Movement. They try to terrorize both the Kurdish Women's Movement and all the organizations supporting the movement. We carry out our activities with the Kurdish women living in Istanbul. As women’s organizations, we should support each other. However, they aim to isolate the Kurdish Women’s Movement by arresting women supporting the movement.”

‘You stole so much of our time; it is women’s time now’

All women should unite, Dilek Başalan emphasized. “We should stand with each other without ‘buts’. When police detain the members of women’s organizations such as the Rosa Women’s Association and the TJA (Free Women’s Movement), we protest their detention in Istanbul. When Garibe Gezer was killed, all women’s organizations united and protested in Istanbul. We always ask ‘Where is Gülistan Doku?’ (Gülistan Doku has been missing since January 5, 2020). As women’s organizations, we stand by each other and we get strength from each other.”

On March 8, the members of the Women's Time Association will take to the streets with the motto, “You stole so much of our time; it is women’s time now”. “We will march by holding this banner to say that we will not allow anyone to steal our time anymore. We will be stronger together.”