At least 275 women in Turkey were killed by men between January and October despite the government’s claim that the number of femicides in the country is trending downward, the Birgün daily reported, citing data from the We Will Stop Femicide Platform (KCDP).
According to the data, 19 of the women who were killed had obtained a restraining order against their murderers. Thirty-four of the women were killed in October alone.
Based on the data from the KCDP, while at least one femicide occurred every day of the year, there was an 88 percent increase in the number of femicide cases in October of this year compared to the same month of 2021.
The most common “motivation” for the murder of women was their refusal to marry or have a relationship with their killers.
Eighteen of the women were killed by their husbands. Additionally, 20 were killed at home and seven were murdered on the street.
Twenty-six of the femicides were recorded as “death under suspicious circumstances.” The platform said, “Instead of explaining how many women were killed, why, how and by whom, the Ministry of Interior is distorting the facts by saying that the femicide data was prepared incorrectly.”
The woman rights platform said women are not protected by the government, adding: “Women apply to the government for protection, but the authorities do not fulfill their responsibilities. Seven percent, or 19, of the women killed in 2022 were murdered despite having a restraining order against their killers.”
Femicides and violence against women are serious problems in Turkey, where women are killed, raped or beaten every day. Many critics say the main reason behind the situation is the policies of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, which protects violent and abusive men by granting them impunity.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sparked outrage in Turkey and the international community after he issued a decree in March 2021 that pulled the country out of an international treaty that requires governments to adopt legislation prosecuting perpetrators of domestic violence and similar abuse as well as marital rape and female genital mutilation.
The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention, is an international accord designed to protect women’s rights and prevent domestic violence in societies and was opened to signature of member countries of the Council of Europe in 2011.
