MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed - On March 20, a Presidential Decree announced Turkey’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Since then, many women have been killed, and women have been subjected to harassment, rape, and systematic violence. In Turkey, at least three women are killed every day and the perpetrators are rewarded with sentence reduction while the government does nothing to prevent femicides and violence against women. While women across Turkey follow the developments with deep concern, they try to make their voices heard. Speaking about the rising femicide rates in Turkey, Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) female MPs drew attention to the women’s policies of the government.

“The withdrawal decision paves the way for male violence”

HDP Istanbul MP Züleyha Gülüm pointed out that violence against women, harassment, and femicide rates have seriously increased after Turkey’s withdraw from the Istanbul Convention entered into force. “According to reports of press outlets, 14 women were killed in August until now and this number continues to increase. The withdrawal decision paves the way for male violence,” Züleyha Gülüm told NuJinha.

“The government is responsible for femicides”

Femicide rates are rising because the ruling party, which has to take protective and preventive measures to prevent femicides, does not fulfill its responsibilities, Züleyha Gülüm said, adding, “The government is responsible for femicides by carrying out policies deepening male violence, discrimination against women, and by withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention. By withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention, the government also announced the crimes against women and LGBTI+ people are legitimated.”

“Masculine mindset teaches perpetrators how to defend themselves”

Stating that the impunity policies and time off for good behavior impede the struggle to end violence against women and play an important role in the increase of male violence, Züleyha Gülüm highlighted that the masculine judiciary and government have become a party to these crimes by carrying out misogynistic policies. “Almost all male killers claim in their statements that they are mentally ill and they killed women to protect their “honor”. We talk about a masculine mindset that teaches perpetrators how to defend themselves.”

“The perpetrators don’t hesitate to commit a crime”

HDP Şırnak MP Nuran İmir talked about the reasons for the increase of femicides, “The biggest reason for the increase of femicides is the current impunity policies. The perpetrators are encouraged to commit new crimes because they know they will receive no punishment. Violence against women has increased and more women have been killed especially after the amending on the Execution of Penal and Security Measures passed in 2020 and Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention. The perpetrators don’t hesitate to commit a crime because they think, ‘the state, laws and the government will stand by us and they will cover up our crime’.”

“Women's rights must be guaranteed”

Stating that women’s rights must be immediately guaranteed, Nuran İmir said, “Women face male-state violence in all areas. The ruling party keeps femicides and violence against women on the agenda to get political gains while it defends the perpetrators of femicides at every opportunity. The male judicial system and the impunity policies protect the killers and blame women even if they are the victims of femicide. For this reason, women's rights must be guaranteed.”

“Self-defense is a must”

Noting that the greatest power of women against violence and femicide is self-defense, Nuran İmir said that change is possible with the self-defense of women. “These policies will continue to kill women and subject them to violence and oppression unless the system is completely changed. The organized women’s power is the most important self-defense means. Unorganized women are subjected to male violence. The only way out is for women to organize themselves in all areas and to develop their self-defense mechanism.”

“The AKP tries to take away women from public spaces”

HDP Ağrı MP Dilan Dirayet Taşdemir indicated that the misogynist policy of the AKP has a great impact on increasing violence against women. Stating that the AKP doesn’t want women who demand freedom and equality in the country, Dilan Dirayet Taşdemir said, “The AKP wants to build a social structure in which everyone obeys them and bows down before them. They try to take away women from public spaces in order to build such a social structure. Women resisting this are subjected to male and state violence.”

“Turkey is not a safe country for women”

“With the eliminations he mechanisms protecting women, women are being killed,” Dilan Dirayet Taşdemir said, “Turkey has become a country where women do not feel safe, are afraid of being harassed, abused, killed, and subjected to violence. Turkey is not a safe country for women.”