Ankara makes vital reforms to curb violence against women PHOTO

The UN rapporteur on violence against women, Reem Alsalem has said that the Turkish government has made several improvements in its legislation on violence against women in the past few years but that more is needed to address ongoing issues challenges.

Despite the significant progress that Türkiye has made over the last 15 years in advancing women’s rights, the country is now at a crossroads, the UN rapporteur concluded following her visit to Türkiye, Daily Sabah news agency reports.  

In a statement, Alsalem acknowledged the particularly challenging context within which the government of Türkiye and other stakeholders tackle the issue of violence against women and girls, compounded by the country’s economic situation and “the implications of generously hosting close to 4 million refugees – mostly Syrians under temporary protection.”

The UN further quoted Alsalem as saying that Türkiye had made “considerable progress in working towards sustainable development, taking fundamental steps towards eradicating poverty and increasing support for marginalized and disadvantaged sections of society, including women and girls.”

“Alsalem acknowledged the solid legal framework for the prevention of violence against women and girls through the Law to Protect Family and Prevent Violence against Women (Law 6284), together with Türkiye’s four national action plans and specialized initiatives, including the emergency support mobile phone app: KADES.”

Alsalem has been in Türkiye for 10 days and met within this scope with ministers, institutions and representatives from international organizations, civil society organizations, trade unions, bar associations and Turkish and female victims of violence who are foreign nationals.

Türkiye became the first country to sign the convention in 2011 and ratified it by a vote in Parliament the following year.

Türkiye withdrew from the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention last year, prompting reactions from women’s rights groups and Western countries.

Opponents of the pact in Türkiye say the convention undermines family unity, encourages divorce and that the LGBT community was using its references to equality to gain broader social acceptance.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan underlined it wouldn't be a step backward for women and in March, Türkiye’s Parliament ratified a bill aimed at combating violence against women that included introducing tougher sentences if the victim of a violent crime is a woman and making persistent stalking punishable with prison time.