The increase in rights violations against women in Turkey continued in 2023, with a rising number of femicide cases, bans on events organized by rights groups and detentions of women protesting gender-based violence.
Before the May 2023 general election, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) sought an alliance with the conservative New Welfare Party (YRP), a small political party chaired by Fatih Erbakan. One of the YRP’s demands for joining the People’s Alliance led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was the repeal of Law No. 6284 for protection of the family and the prevention of violence against women.
While the Turkish government has agreed to consider repealing the law, activists across the country expressed outrage, saying it was the only legal measure against gender-based violence.
In 2023 femicides and violence against women remained serious problems in Turkey, where women are killed, raped or beaten every day. Many critics say the main reason for the situation has been the policies of the Turkish government, which protects violent and abusive men by granting them impunity. According to the We Will Stop Femicide Platform (Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu), at least 315 women were murdered by men and 248 women died under suspicious circumstances during the year.
In addition, rights activists criticized courts handing down reduced sentences to perpetrators of gender-based violence on the grounds that they were “provoked,” saying it created a culture of impunity. Article 29 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) has often been used to reduce sentences for men accused of such crimes on the grounds that the victim provoked the murder with her actions.
Here is some of the most important news from 2023 in the field of women’s rights:
Top court refused to annul Turkey’s Istanbul Convention withdrawal
The highest body of the Council of State, Turkey’s top administrative court, ruled that a decision by its 10th Chamber to reject a request to annul Turkey’s withdrawal from a European convention against gender-based violence was “lawful.” Rights groups and Western governments expressed shock and outrage when Turkish President Erdoğan withdrew Turkey from the Istanbul Convention in an overnight decree in 2021. But the 10th Chamber of the Council of State rejected a request to annul Erdoğan’s decision in July, arguing that since the president has the authority to approve international treaties after they are ratified by parliament, the legislature did not need to take any action for the president to exercise his authority to withdraw from treaties. More…
Turkey banned Women’s Day march in central Istanbul
A district governor’s office in İstanbul declared the central Taksim neighborhood and surrounding area off limits for demonstrations or marches to mark International Women’s Day. The Beyoğlu district governor’s office said no meetings, protests, marches or demonstrations could be held in venues or streets in the area including Taksim Square. It said the planned Women’s Day march has been banned out of concerns for public order and national security as well as to prevent crime and protect the rights and freedoms of others. More…
Turkish police broke up Int’l Women’s Day march, detained at least 10 in Istanbul
Turkish police used pepper spray to disperse hundreds of women who had gathered in İstanbul’s Taksim neighborhood for the 21st Feminist Night March on the occasion of International Women’s Day and detained at least 10 of them. The women gathered in İstiklal Street despite a ban imposed by the Beyoğlu district governor’s office for all kinds of demonstrations and marches in the area including the women’s day march. More…
97,721 women tried on terrorism charges, 23,000 dismissed from civil service in Turkey since 2016: report
A total of 97,721 women have been tried on charges of terrorism and 23,202 women have been dismissed from the civil service since a July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, according to a report published by the CrossBorder Jurists Association (CBJ) on March 7. More…
175,000 women faced risks to pregnancies due to lack of medical care in Turkey’s quake zone: report
The more than 175,000 pregnant women living in southern and southeastern Turkey when two major earthquakes struck the area in February faced serious problems in accessing maternal healthcare services, according to a report by the Women’s Platform for Equality (EŞİK), an umbrella organization of over 340 women’s and LGBTQ organizations. More…
Threats to women’s rights can no longer be discussed within the AKP, said MP Özlem Zengin
Özlem Zengin, a deputy from the ruling AKP and notorious for discriminatory remarks against women critical of the Turkish government, complained on a television program that it had become impossible to discuss women’s rights in her party. More…
Women were left vulnerable to physical and sexual violence in earthquake zones, according to activists
Activists said twin earthquakes that hit southern and southeastern Turkey in early February left women vulnerable to physical and sexual violence. Several women’s organizations went to the earthquake zone immediately after the quakes struck to deliver aid to victims and show solidarity with women who were left homeless. The volunteers visited tent cities to determine women’s needs and take note of the problems they were experiencing. More…
Gender gap in Turkish parliament to remain, parties’ candidate lists revealed
The parliamentary candidate lists of 26 political parties for the May 14 general election revealed that the gender gap in the Turkish parliament would remain. More…
AKP members targeted award-winning actress for pro-women’s-rights speech
Members of Turkey’s ruling AKP targeted award-winning actress Merve Dizdar for a speech she gave about women’s rights at the Cannes Film Festival. More…
World Economic Forum ranked Turkey among the worst in global index on gender equality
A report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked Turkey 129th among 146 countries as regards gender equality. The “Global Gender Gap 2023” report indicated that Turkey had dropped five places in the global ranking in comparison to last year. Moreover, Turkey ranked the worst in gender equality in the Middle East and Eurasia category. More…
136 women in Turkey fell victim to femicide in the first half of 2023
A total of 136 women were murdered by men in Turkey in the first six months of 2023, while 114 died under suspicious circumstances. Although femicides took place mainly in big cities such as Istanbul and Ankara, there was an increase in domestic violence cases across the country. Women’s rights activists also criticized the authorities for failing to conduct thorough investigations into suspicious deaths. More…
Turkey acquitted police officer who allegedly impregnated a migrant woman in custody
An Ankara court acquitted a police officer accused of sexually assaulting a woman who was held at a migrant detention center. The officer, identified only by the initials M.Ş., was acquitted on the grounds that there was no concrete evidence supporting the victim’s claim that she was coerced by the officer into having sexual relations. More…
Turkish women’s rights activists criticized reduced sentences on grounds of ‘provocation’ in gender-based violence cases: report
Turkish women’s rights activists criticized courts handing down reduced sentences to perpetrators of gender-based violence on the grounds that they were “provoked,” saying it created a culture of impunity. Lawyer Selin Nakıpoğlu from the Women’s Platform for Equality (ESIK) said by issuing reduced sentences based on provocation, the courts were saying victims deserved to be killed or hurt. Women’s rights activists said the law should be amended because it does not clarify what exactly can be considered a provocation. More…
Turkish court dropped case against women’s rights group fighting femicide
A Turkish court rejected a prosecutor’s attempt to shut down a leading women’s rights group that fights against femicide on charges of violating administrative laws and “morality.” The rare court victory for a Turkish rights group came as Ankara vowed to repair ties with Western allies after May elections in which President Erdoğan extended his rule into a third decade. More…
Turkish Medical Association condemned gender-based violence in new statement
The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) issued a statement condemning gender-based violence and femicide, calling on Turkish authorities to take action against the increasing cases. Following separate attacks on two female healthcare workers in Mersin province, the TBB blamed government policies and a culture of impunity in the judiciary that protects perpetrators of violence by handing down reduced sentences. More…
Former governor acquitted of gender-based violence charges despite evidence
Orhan Çiftçi, the former governor of Kırklareli province, was acquitted of domestic violence charges despite compelling evidence against him. He was accused of taking his ex-girlfriend to a forest by force and beating her with the participation of three other men. The incident took place in 2017, and the prosecutor presented camera recordings, historical traffic search (HTS) data and expert reports that supported the accusations against Çiftçi and his friends. Furthermore, the victim, M.Ö., presented a medical report confirming the bruises on her body as evidence that she had been beaten. More…
Turkish women’s rights activists said sexual and physical abuse perpetrators are granted impunity
Women’s rights activists in Turkey said perpetrators of gender-based violence, femicide and sexual abuse are granted impunity thanks to reduced prison sentences. According to the activists, at least 17 perpetrators were given reduced prison sentences in the first nine months of 2022. Some of these cases involved the sexual abuse of underage girls. Canan Güllü, chair of the Federation of Turkish Women’s Associations, said such reduced sentences have resulted in an increase of physical and sexual abuse cases. More…
Government agency revealed millions of women had been victims of violence in Turkey in the last decade
A violence prevention and monitoring center in Turkey reported staggering numbers of gender-based violence cases in the last decade. Violence prevention and monitoring center ŞÖNİM, which was established by the Ministry of Family and Social Services to combat gender-based violence, documented 1,360,027 gender-based violence cases in Turkey between 2013 and 2023. According to ŞÖNİM data, 15 women are victims of violence every hour. More…
New Turkish TV series sparked outrage for romanticizing femicide
A new Turkish television series developed by renowned actor Yilmaz Erdoğan sparked public criticism for promoting gender-based violence and femicide. Members of the public took to social media to criticize the series’ first trailer, saying it romanticizes femicide. The trailer of “Pear Drops” was posted with the caption, “It was my destiny to not only be your love, but to also be the perpetrator of your murder.” The series concerns the murder of a female teacher at the hands of her husband, played by Erdoğan. In the trailer as the perpetrator is taken to prison, a slow, romantic song plays in the background. More…
