Turkey seeks men’s awareness on violence toward women

Domestic violence and violence toward women remain dire issues in Turkey, with stories of murders and beatings of women in the hands of their spouses and others dominating headlines almost every day. Though authorities say the number of “femicides” has decreased, murders of women once again overshadowed 2021, with more than 300 murders being accounted for by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

Minister of Family and Social Policies Derya Yanık said the number of femicide victims were 307 in 2021. Cabinet ministers came together on Monday in the capital Ankara for a new road map to tackle the pressing issue. Speaking at the meeting, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said that they would focus “on men” this year to curb the disturbing trend.

“Our target is men. We will reach all the men in Turkey and explain what to do against domestic violence and violence toward women, through members of our law enforcement in accordance with our action plan on the issue until 2025. We will take every step to that extent,” he explained.

“Everyone has a responsibility in fighting violence toward women and every ministry has taken steps and readied plans,” he said. Soylu noted they prioritized the training of personnel in handling the cases of violence and that they have stepped up measures, particularly in terms of electronic bracelets for perpetrators of violence, which restrict their movements and can prevent a repeat of the violence.

In most cases, women are killed by their spouses who have had a history of domestic violence, and NGOs often call for a better implementation of protective measures for victims of domestic violence. Soylu also hailed the Women’s Emergency Support Application (KADES) and said law enforcement received 279,000 tips from the app so far and have intervened in each one. KADES, introduced in 2018, allows women to notify the security forces with one push of a button in the app.

Violence against women is a product of a warped patriarchal mindset that still exists in some sections of society. According to an Interior Ministry report from 2020, the majority of perpetrators in domestic violence cases that end in murder are husbands, while most victims are housewives. In some nonfatal cases, women shy away from filing a criminal complaint, either out of fear of their violent husbands or due to economic dependence on their spouses. The report says some women avoid seeking restraining orders against their spouses due to “social pressure, shame and giving another chance for redemption to violent spouses,” according to the report.

The “social pressure” here refers to a warped mindset that is biased toward men in marriages where men are viewed as being entitled to beat their wives. Although this mindset, a legacy of a patriarchal worldview degrading women, is fading away, so-called “honor killings,” where husbands kill cheating spouses or those they claim to suspect of cheating, still exist. Murders are mostly premeditated, a common theme that perpetrators invariably deny, claiming they killed their spouses during “heated arguments.” Domestic disputes of various kinds make up the majority of motives for murders, ahead of “jealousy” and “rejection of divorce.”

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