At least five women in Turkey have been killed in acts of femicide over the past two days, demonstrating the alarming prevalence of gender-based violence in the country, the We Will Stop Femicide Platform (KCDP) reported on social media.
All five women were killed by men they knew. Gülnur Akalın was murdered by her ex-husband, Tuncer Batmaz; Havva Adıyaman by her estranged husband, Yusuf Adıyaman; Halime Avşar by her husband, Halil Avşar; Sevcan Demir Sakman by her husband, Halit Can Sakman; and Fatma Kara by her ex-partner, Olgun Gacar.
“The year 2025 was declared the ‘Year of the Family.’ Yet women are being killed within those very families every day. Those [lawmakers] who try to confine women within the family feel no sense of responsibility in the face of this reality. They are effectively abandoning women to their deaths within those families,” said the KCDP.
Women’s rights organizations have repeatedly said that by declaring 2024 the Year of the Family, the government has reinforced traditional domestic roles rather than addressing the real challenges women face at home, such as domestic violence.
“In opposition to family-centered policies, we will continue to strengthen our fight for systemic equity and freedom for women. We will create a future where women can freely make decisions about their own lives. We will stop femicide,” the KCDP added.
Talking to the Bianet news website, lawyer Nazan Moroğlu addressed the government’s Year of the Family policies. She pointed out that the phrase “The family is the foundation of society” is frequently used, but it is often repeated without acknowledging equality between spouses. She explained that this rhetoric is contributing to a system where women are effectively disregarded within the family structure.
Moreover, one of the most pressing issues women face in the family is violence, yet women’s reports of domestic abuse are still not taken seriously by authorities.
Moroğlu said to truly strengthen the family, the rights of women and children must be protected, and that to prevent domestic violence, children must be taught the principle of gender equality from an early age. Without this, she argued, simply emphasizing the word “family” ignores the needs and rights of women.
However, according to rights advocates women’s societal roles are currently being reduced to “wife” and “mother,” without recognizing them as individuals.
Femicide and violence against women are chronic problems in Turkey, where women are killed, raped or beaten almost every day. Since the KCDP began to keep track of women who were victims of domestic violence in Turkey in 2010, the country saw the highest number of women murders in 2024, with the killing of 394 women. In addition, 259 women died under suspicious circumstances last year.
According to the platform, the main reason behind the increase in the number of femicides is the policies of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.
On March 20, 2021 President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a decree withdrawing Turkey from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention.
Erdoğan claimed the treaty had been “hijacked by a group of people attempting to normalize homosexuality,” which he said was “incompatible” with Turkey’s “social and family values.”
Ever since Turkey withdrew from the convention the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), along with their conservative allies, such as the New Welfare Party (YRP) and the Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR), have been calling for the repeal of Law No. 6284, which safeguards families and seeks to prevent violence against women.
While the Turkish government has been willing to consider repealing the law, activists across the country expressed outrage, saying it was the only legal measure against gender-based violence.
