In a long-threatened move, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has formally announced his country's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention which he views as having been "hijacked" by people attempting to normalize homosexuality. The Convention which was first opened to signature in 2011, represents a comprehensive and legally binding human rights treaty by the Council of Europe. Along with pledging to promote gender equality, the convention also seeks to prevent and prosecute sexual and domestic violence as well as forced marriages and involuntary sterilization. While Erdogan insists that he still endorses the convention's other goals, including protecting women from abuse, he deems attempts at normalizing homosexuality as being "incompatible with Türkey’s social and family values. Hence the decision to withdraw."
Despite reiterating his determination to improve women's rights, the goverment's head of communications Fahrettin Altun has also released a statement stressing that Turkey's existing legislation is sufficient to prevent violence against women. But women have taken to the streets across the country to show their outrage and the need for more comprehensive protections. This includes many of the provisions already in place in the Istanbul Convention, including guaranteeing access to shelters for victims of violence, 24/7 helplines, and other services which are often lacking for Turkish women. At present, Turkey only has one helpline T for women affected by violence. Also, as of 2020, there were only 145 shelters for women victims of violence in the entire country with a capacity to house 3,482 women. Along with protesting the withdrawal from the convention, protestors also demand justice for the 300 femicide victims reported to police in 2020 alone and the increasing numbers being reported this year as well. According to the Social Gender Equality collective, six women were killed in a twelve-hour period on the very day of Turkey's decision to withdraw.
In responding to Turkey's action, representatives of the Council of Europe released a statement announcing that, "Turkey was the first member State to ratify in 2012 the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, opened for signature in Istanbul during the Turkish Chairmanship of the Organisation 10 years ago. And it did so by a unanimous vote at the Grand National Assembly. We thus deeply regret the decision of the President of Turkey to withdraw from this Convention widely supported in the country, without any parliamentary debate. We recall that the purpose of the Convention is to prevent violence against women, protect victims and prosecute perpetrators. It upholds women’s fundamental human right to a life free from violence. Leaving the Convention would deprive Turkey and Turkish women of a vital tool to counter violence. We therefore call on the Turkish authorities not to weaken the international system to protect women against violence put in place by the Istanbul Convention”.
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