Two foreign nationals, Saida from Azerbaijan and Dalila from Italy, who were detained during demonstrations in İstanbul on November 25, the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, are being held in a deportation center, the Bianet news website reported.
As part of the International Day of Solidarity and Elimination of Violence against Women on Friday, some 200 women, including journalists and foreign citizens, who were marching in İstanbul were briefly detained.
During a visit to the deportation center, members of the Purple Solidarity Women’s Association said Saida and Dalila, who is in Turkey as part of the Erasmus student exchange program, told them they are under psychological pressure.
Saida and Dalila were told that the Turkish authorities would decide on whether they will be deported.
The United Nations had earlier called on women’s organizations to join 16 days of activism led by the UN secretary-general and UN Women since 2008. According to a UN statement, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women will mark the launch of the UNiTE campaign (November 25- December 10) — an initiative of 16 days of activism concluding on International Human Rights Day (December 10).
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 for 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.
