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Turkey has withdrawn from the Istanbul Convention for the Prevention of Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s decision on the matter was published in the Turkish Official Gazette on Saturday morning. Even as Prime Minister, the politician was personally present at the solemn signing of the convention in 2011.
The Ankara government did not provide a formal justification for the decision to withdraw, but the ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), has repeatedly criticized the Istanbul Convention for declaring gender equality and condemning discrimination based on orientation. sexual.
In the AKP reading, this last principle amounts to promoting homosexuality, and the convention says it will help increase the number of divorces.
As in many other countries in the world, violence against women is a social problem in Turkey. At least 300 women died as a result of domestic violence in 2020, according to advocacy organizations. It is telling that hundreds of thousands have downloaded the smartphone app through which women can alert the police at the touch of a button if they are attacked. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 38 percent of Turkish women have already experienced partner violence, compared to an average of 25 percent of women in European countries.
The Istanbul Convention is also rejected by the Orbán government and Fidesz-KDNP, arguing that the document seeks to provide a definition of gender and, at the same time, the introduction of a “destructive gender approach”, and to force countries to grant asylum on the basis of gender insurance. For this reason, in May 2020, the KDNP submitted a political declaration to Parliament on the ratification of the Istanbul Convention. and binding scope on his rejection, which was also voted on by Parliament.
(Cover Image: Recep Tayyip Erdo gram a. Photo: Reuters)
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