Women made 328 calls to Turkey’s government-run domestic violence hotline in August, the BirGün daily reported, citing the Federation of Women’s Associations of Turkey (TKDF).
Women mostly called the Alo 183 Domestic Violence Emergency hotline to report physical violence, with the majority of calls coming from Istanbul. The age of domestic violence victims ranged from 14 to 61 years. The hotline is operated by the Turkish Ministry of Justice.
The high number of calls has created additional pressure on support services. According to Canan Güllü, chairwoman of the TKDF, the high number of domestic violence reports is reflected in the growing number of women seeking refuge in women’s shelters.
In August 2024, 11 women requested shelter placement, while this number rose to 30 in August of this year. However, women’s shelters lack sufficient capacity, revealing a growing gap in support for victims of domestic violence.
Speaking to BirGün, Güllü attributed responsibility to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government for inadequate protection of women. She said the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs often made statements targeting women’s freedom, including a recent Friday sermon delivered in mosques across the country warning congregations about “increasing immorality” such as women who dress immodestly.
Güllü added that the family and social services, interior and justice ministries had failed to fulfill their duty to protect women. These failures include ensuring adequate shelter capacity and improving conditions to accommodate the needs of women and their children.
Moreover, law enforcement has been slow to respond to women’s complaints and to ensure restraining orders are properly enforced.
Women or men subjected to violence can apply for restraining orders in Turkey. If granted, the order is communicated to both the complainant and the restrained person. The complainant must then obtain a written copy from the local police station and carry it at all times. Restraining orders can include various conditions such as banning communication or prohibiting physical proximity.
According to regulations, officers are required to periodically contact or visit the subject of the restraining order to ensure compliance. However, women’s rights activists have repeatedly said police fail to follow up and that many women have been killed by men against whom they had obtained restraining orders.
Güllü noted that even when brought before judges, perpetrators of gender-based violence often receive lenient treatment from the courts. Turkish courts have attracted criticism for their tendency to hand down reduced sentences to offenders by claiming crimes were “motivated by passion” or by interpreting victims’ silence as consent.
Femicides and violence against women represent serious ongoing problems in Turkey, where women face daily threats of murder, rape, and assault. Critics point to policies of the AKP government, arguing they protect violent and abusive men through lenient treatment.
In March 2021 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a decree withdrawing the country from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, known as the Istanbul Convention. The international treaty, opened for signature in 2011, requires governments to adopt legislation prosecuting perpetrators of domestic violence, marital rape and female genital mutilation. The withdrawal faced opposition from the international community and women’s rights groups.
