I’ve grown up wondering, why women are asked not to wander outside when it’s dark, why we’re told to carry pepper spray with us at all times and cover every inch of our skin, why we’re asked to travel with a friend and persistently asked to send updates when we step outside. We’re constantly cautioned of our surroundings, while male friends and relatives are hardly ever asked to do the same. But as the number of reports on violence against women increases, I don’t pause to wonder anymore. My questions seem to find the answers that I, previously, so desperately searched for.
The harsh truth is, violence against women is so normalized that nobody bats an eye while reading articles mentioning the same. Hardly anybody pauses to wonder why the number of reports is continually on the rise despite the number of positive changes being made.
Today, we live in a society where our activism ends with comments made criticizing the justice system and the world, followed by a post on social media. It is disheartening to believe that half of the population lives in fear of the other.
Violence Against Women in Turkey
According to a 2014 research project on violence against women by Hacettepe University’s Institute of Population Studies, with support from Turkey’s Ministry of Family and Social Policies, Directorate General on the Status of Women[1] :
• 4/10 women in Turkey are exposed to physical or sexual violence
• 3/10 women in Turkey are married before they turn 18
• 48% of girls in Turkey married before the age of 18 are exposed to physical violence
• 90% of human trafficking victims in Turkey are women
• 11% of women in Turkey are prevented from working by their families
• 1/3rd of girls in Turkey are not allowed to go to school by their families
• Only 1/10 women in Turkey exposed to violence apply to an institution for help
We Will Stop Femicides Platform, a women’s rights group that monitors violence against women, reported that at least 474 women were murdered in 2019[2] mainly by current or former partners, family members, or unrelated males who wanted a relationship with them.
Further, the Turkish government proposed a “marry your rapist” bill [3] earlier this year that would allow men accused of having sex with girls under the age of 18 to avoid punishment. This bill would not only legitimise child marriage and statutory rape but would also pave the way for child abuse and sexual exploitation.
Turkey & the Istanbul Convention
The Istanbul Convention[4] is a human rights treaty designed to offer better protection for survivors and victims of violence against women and to enforce appropriate punishments upon those who commit it.
Although Turkey had ratified the Istanbul Convention in 2012, the number of women murdered has more than doubled since then, most likely owing to the failure of the implementation of this convention by the Turkish government, and Turkey’s religious forces who regard this convention as a threat to the country’s traditional family structure [5]. Moreover, it is also under the threat of withdrawal by the current administration.
Murder of Pınar Gültekin
Pınar Gültekin, a Turkish student, was reported missing on 16th July, 2020. Five days later, her remains were found in a forest. She was beaten and strangled to death by her former partner, Cemal Metin Avci, who then allegedly torched her corpse in a garbage can and covered it in concrete before dumping the remains in a forest.[6]
Her murder marked the 50th known murder of women in Turkey in 2020 alone[7] and sparked widespread outrage on ground and on social media. A series of protests were organised by women’s right activists’ groups such as We Will Stop Femicide Platform, Ankara Women’s Platform and Platform to Stop Women’s Murder, among others.
Protests in Turkey & Police Crackdown
Turkey is not unfamiliar to women protesting against gender-based violence. Protest marches calling for women to be better protected are regularly dispersed. The police disbanded a demonstration by 2000 women, marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, in Istanbul on 25th November 2019, using tear gas and rubber bullets.
On hearing that Turkey might withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, hundreds of women rallied in support of the convention, holding placards saying, “Women will not forgive violence,” “Apply the Istanbul Convention” and “Long live women’s solidarity.”[8]
The recent murder of Pınar Gültekin by her former partner has also sparked a series of protests across the country. The protesters are also seeking the strict implementation of laws to protect women and are demanding justice for all the women who have been murdered or faced with violence in the country.[9]
During the recent demonstration in the coastal metropolis of Izmir, Turkish police intervened, arresting several activists.[10] According to one protestor, many women were illegally detained, beaten and abused.[11]
Women Supporting Women Campaign
Lately, women have been uploading black-and-white photos of themselves on social media with the hashtags #challengeaccepted and #womensupportingwomen. Although it may seem like just another trend that your women friends are taking part in, it is not. This challenge not only promotes women empowerment, but also sheds light on the violence against women in Turkey.
The campaign started with Turkish women posting black-and-white photos of themselves online to signify that they could be the next to appear in a newspaper as a femicide victim with the hashtags, #kadınaşiddetehayır and #istanbulsözleşmesiyaşatır, which roughly translate to “Say no to violence against women” and “Enforce the Istanbul Convention” respectively, along with the hashtags, #challengeaccepted and #womensupportingwomen.
The “Women Supporting Women” challenge hopes to draw your attention to violence against women. It hopes you stand in solidarity with women who are taking a stand and raise awareness about the same.
How can we help?
• Raise awareness of violence against women
• If possible, donate to verified organizations
• Sign petitions
Remember, change starts with us.
Conclusion
"Be the change you want to see in the world.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
The number of reports of violence against women is alarming and they have only increased with the onset of COVID-19, considering the implementation of lockdowns around the world.
Today, the victim was a woman unknown to you. Tomorrow, it may be your friend, your classmate, your colleague, your neighbour, your relative or you. It is high time we take a stand against violence against women and move our activism beyond a post on social media.
I want to end this article with two questions - If not us, who? If not now, when?
Article by-
Suraksha Vinod,
Co-Editor,
For the Record,
PES MUN Society
Commentaires