President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has withdrawn Turkey from an international accord to prevent violence against women amid increasing calls in Turkey to combat domestic violence as femicide rates rise.
No reason was provided for the withdrawal, but officials in Erdogan’s ruling AK Party had said last year the government was considering pulling out amid a row over how to curb growing violence against women.
The 2011 agreement, commonly referred to as the Istanbul Convention, was drafted by the Council of Europe in the Turkish city in 2011. It is a legal framework seeking to protect women and promote gender equality through legislation, education and spreading awareness.
Turkey's withdrawal from the treaty sparked outrage among women's rights activists on social media platforms. The We Will Stop Femicide platform has called for protests in Istanbul against the decision. The same women's rights group reported 300 femicides in 2020.
Hundreds of thousands of women had downloaded a smartphone app that Turkey created for them to report domestic violence.
Turkey does not keep official statistics on femicide. World Health Organization data has shown 38% of women in Turkey are subject to violence from a partner in their lifetime, compared to about 25% in Europe.
Turkey has been a candidate to join the EU since 2005, but access talks have been halted over policy differences and Ankara’s record on human rights.
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