The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has urged Turkey to rejoin the Istanbul Convention, warning that women and girls are being left without key protections as gender-based violence remains widespread and underreported.
In a resolution adopted during its spring session on April 22, the assembly said Turkey’s withdrawal from the treaty has deprived women of “high standards” of protection, pointing to continued reports of femicides and the suspicious deaths of women. It called for renewed ratification along with stronger political commitment and enforcement measures to address what it described as a persistent human rights violation.
The assembly said it “regrets” Turkey’s 2021 withdrawal from the convention and urged Ankara to renew ratification and align its legal framework with the treaty’s standards. It added that violence against women remains a serious concern, citing continued reports by civil society groups of high numbers of femicides and suspicious female deaths.
Turkey was the first country to ratify the convention but withdrew in 2021 by presidential decree, a move widely criticized by rights organizations, saying that it weakened protections and accountability mechanisms for victims of domestic violence.
The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, commonly known as the Istanbul Convention, is considered the most comprehensive international framework addressing violence against women, requiring states to implement measures on prevention, protection and prosecution.
More broadly, the resolution states that violence against women remains pervasive across Europe and constitutes “a serious violation of human rights” rooted in structural inequality. Lawmakers said reporting and conviction rates remain low, with many victims facing stigma, fear and lack of trust in the justice system.
Since its withdrawal, violence against women has remained a persistent concern in Turkey. Data compiled by the We Will Stop Femicide Platform show that 280 women were killed in 2021, the year Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention took effect. The group recorded 334 killings in 2022 and 315 in 2023. In 2024, the number rose sharply to 394, the highest level since records began. In 2025, at least 294 women were killed, while nearly as many deaths were classified as suspicious.
Advocacy groups and researchers say the issue is not only the scale of violence but also gaps in protection and enforcement. Critics argue that perpetrators often benefit from impunity and that restraining orders and other legal safeguards are not consistently implemented.
The resolution is not legally binding but adds to ongoing international pressure on Ankara, as rights groups continue to warn that gaps in protection and enforcement leave women at risk.
