Limited fundingand the failure of public institutions to provide adequate support are making it increasingly difficult for women in Turkey to escape domestic violence, women’s rights groups have said, the Bianet news website reported.
The groups said a shrinking civic space and growing funding constraints have weakened organizations supporting women subjected to domestic violence. They added that shortcomings in public services and in the implementation of existing protection mechanisms restrict women’s ability to leave violent relationships.
They said women’s organizations cannot serve as a substitute for public services in supporting victims of domestic violence. They stressed that the state is responsible for providing and sustainably funding services needed to protect women’s lives.
The Mor Çatı Women’s Shelter Foundation added that women subjected to domestic violence face lengthy bureaucratic procedures and difficulties accessing shelters as well as psychological, medical and social support.
The We Will Stop Femicide Platform (KCDP) noted that Law No. 6284, Turkey’s principal legislation against domestic violence, provides measures including temporary financial assistance, shelter and restraining orders but said women do not always have timely and effective access to these protections in practice.
The KCDP said economic independence is also crucial for women seeking to leave abusive relationships. The group pointed to women’s low employment rate, 31.4 percent in May, according to TurkStat, as a major barrier to achieving the required economic independence.
The KCDP also referred to the long-running debate over alimony rights in Turkey, saying attempts to restrict alimony payments risk increasing women’s economic dependence and making it harder for them to leave violent relationships and establish independent lives.
Turkey’s Constitutional Court on June 4 struck down a Civil Code provision allowing courts to grant indefinite poverty alimony after divorce and gave parliament nine months to enact new legislation. Women’s rights groups criticized the decision, warning that limiting alimony could leave divorced women more vulnerable to poverty and domestic violence.
Women’s rights groups have long criticized Turkish authorities for failing to effectively implement laws designed to protect women from domestic violence, saying restraining orders are poorly enforced and complaints of abuse are often not adequately addressed by police and judicial authorities.
Such criticism intensified after Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, formally known as the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence.
Despite opposition from the international community and women’s rights groups, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan withdrew Turkey from the convention by presidential decree in March 2021.
International organizations, rights groups and local women’s associations have continued to call on Turkey to rejoin the convention.
