A report released by the Stop the Murder of Women Platform has shown that a total of 38 women became the victims of domestic violence in Turkey in January.
Most of the murders took place in the western province of İzmir, where six women were killed, followed by İstanbul, Balıkesir, Trabzon and Şanlıurfa, where three women were murdered in each province.
The platform said it could not determine whether all of the murdered women had state protection but said 8 percent of the women killed in January died while they trying to protect another woman.
“These data clearly show that women are not protected by the state. Thirty-one percent of the women were killed because they wanted to divorce, end a relationship or simply because they wanted to make a decision regarding their lives,” the platform said in its report.
Women’s rights organizations have for years been trying to raise awareness about the rise in violence against women that has taken place in the last decade.
According to local reports, between 2003 and 2010 there had been a 1,400 percent increase.
Many women think that this is linked to the policies or rhetoric of the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey, which has its roots in political Islam and has been in power since 2002.