Women’s groups divided over Türkiye’s approach to gender-based violence laws

Türkiye’s Parliamentary Committee on Violence and Discrimination Against Women met Wednesday to discuss the country’s approach to women’s rights and protections against gender-based violence, with representatives from women’s organizations presenting divergent views on the country’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention.

The committee, led by AK Party Ankara Deputy Asuman Erdogan, heard testimony from several women’s rights organizations as Türkiye prepares to establish a new Coordination Council for Women’s Empowerment.

“Mobilization has begun in Türkiye on women’s empowerment and violence against women,” Erdogan said during her opening remarks. She noted that action plans are being prepared to combat violence against women and measures are being taken to protect and support victims.

Implementation still strong after convention withdrawal

Canan Sari, Vice President of the Women and Democracy Foundation (KADEM), addressed concerns about Türkiye’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, insisting that domestic implementation of women’s protections remains robust.

“As a lawyer, I can say that the withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention does not affect domestic implementation,” Sari said. “No court makes judgments based on violating the Istanbul Convention; they make decisions according to the provisions of Law No. 6284.”

Law No. 6284 on the Protection of the Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women came into force before Türkiye ratified the Istanbul Convention, Sari noted.

Zeynep Demir, General Manager of KADEM, described Law No. 6284 as “shining like a pearl” in the fight against violence against women, but called for improvements in its implementation.

“We want the effective implementation of Law No. 6284, the removal of bureaucratic obstacles in victims’ application processes, quick protection orders, and elimination of implementation problems,” Demir said. She also advocated for mandatory rehabilitation programs for male perpetrators of violence.

Conflicting views on Istanbul convention

The committee meeting revealed deep divisions regarding Türkiye’s 2021 withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, a Council of Europe treaty aimed at preventing violence against women.

While KADEM representatives emphasized that domestic protections remain intact, Tulin Oygur, President of the Republican Women’s Association, strongly supported the withdrawal.

“The Istanbul Convention is a Trojan horse for LGBT,” Oygur claimed, prompting several opposition deputies to walk out of the meeting in protest. “It was good for the country that the Istanbul Convention was removed.”

Oygur added that Türkiye “has not withdrawn from the Istanbul Convention, but has thrown away the Grevio Report,” referring to the monitoring mechanism of the convention.

Women’s economic empowerment

Nurten Ozturk, Chairwoman of the Women Entrepreneurs Council of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB), highlighted efforts to increase women’s participation in the economy.

“We are trying to spread a culture of sustainable entrepreneurship by supporting women’s entrepreneurial potential,” Ozturk said, noting that the “Women’s Hand in Industry” project has employed 38,000 women in the last three years.

Regarding the Presidential Circular on Women’s Empowerment, Ozturk commented, “The structure we desire is being created. If this structure works effectively and reaches women correctly, we will overcome many problems.”

Representatives also discussed the need for improved data collection on violence against women, with Demir noting, “We believe the state has a deficiency in publishing data on violence against women in a similar format through cooperation between ministries and institutions.”