According to a report released by a Turkish women’s rights activist organization Monday, a total of 173 women were killed by men in the first five months of 2017.
The report of women’s rights organization “We Will Stop Femicide” has also stated that 39 women were killed in May, more than any other month. The organization also stated that 38 children and 17 women were sexually abused in May.
Reminding that 137 women were killed by men in the first five months of 2016, the group drew attention to a significant increase in the first five months of 2017. In May 2017 six women were killed in İstanbul province, five were killed in the Aegean province of İzmir, and three were killed in the Marmara province of Bursa, the southeastern province of Gaziantep and central Anatolian province of Kayseri, according to the report.
The report also noted that news reports about killing of women in the Turkish media were decreasing even though the number of such murders are increasing. Some 4,090 news reports about violence against women were published in the first 100 days of 2016, while 2,044 news reports about violence against women were published in the first 100 days of 2017, according to the report.
“This fall in press reports, even as violence against women was increasing, is another sign of violence against women. The closure of a number of media outlets and restrictions in press freedom in Turkey likely played a role in this situation,” stated the report.
