Turkey’s withdrawal from the European Convention for the Prevention of Violence against Women: internal discontent and external criticism

Since Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention to combat violence against women, internal and external reactions have condemned this decision, which the Council of Europe recently described as “devastating news that threatens the protection of women.” In addition, thousands of men and women participated in the demonstrations yesterday to demand that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan return to his decision, which was announced Friday night in a presidential statement.

Internal protests: “Women will win this war.”
Ankara joined this agreement in 2011, known as the “Council of Europe Convention” or Istanbul Treaty, and aims to prevent and protect violence against women, “end impunity for perpetrators of crime” and promote equality. .
Observers believe that the president’s approval to withdraw from this deal is aimed at satisfying the country’s conservatives.

Since he signed it, a clear division has emerged within the “Justice and Development” Party, and has even reached his family. Many non-party conservatives also say the deal undermines family structure and encourages violence. Some also object to his position on discrimination based on sexual orientation, as homosexuals use it, in their opinion, to “gain greater acceptance in society.” This is not the first time there has been talk of pulling out of the deal, as Erdogan first hinted at pulling out of the deal last year, also sparking a huge wave of objections, before announcing his decision to quit last night. withdraw from it officially.

As a result of this decision, thousands of women and men gathered in Istanbul’s Kadikoy district, chanting slogans such as “Cancel your decision, implement the agreement!” They also carried photographs of murdered women and banners that read: “Women will win this war.” Smaller meetings were also organized in Ankara and Izmir.

Not only were the protests, but the government faced widespread objections from opposition officials in the country and women’s rights organizations. Istanbul Mayor Akram Imamoglu, one of Erdogan’s most prominent opponents, said: “The announcement of the withdrawal of the Istanbul agreement in the middle of the night, at a time when we report, every day, of a new attack on women is a bitter affair. ” She also described it as “a disdain for the struggle that women have been waging for years.”

In the context, the vice chairman of the Republican People’s Party in charge of human rights affairs, Googshe Googshan, wrote in a tweet on Twitter that abandoning this agreement means “allowing women to be killed.” Life and we revive the agreement. Likewise, the conservative feminist organization “Kadim”, which is close to power and one of Erdogan’s daughters is a member, expressed its dissatisfaction and noted that the Istanbul Agreement “was playing an important role in the fight against violence.”

Wide European Criticism
The decision was followed by various diplomatic pressures. European leaders criticized what they described as a “confusing and worrying” decision to withdraw from an international agreement aimed at protecting women from violence, and urged the Turkish president to reconsider. Germany and France, along with the European Union, are alarmed by this decision.

In this sense, the head of foreign policy of the European Union, Josep Puri, said on Saturday: “We can only express our deep regret and express our ignorance of the decision of the Turkish government.” These objections come a week after Europe and the United States announced that the decision to shut down the third-largest party in the Turkish parliament, the pro-Kurdish “democratic peoples”, undermines democracy in the country.

The government justifies
Faced with this enormous amount of criticism, the government proceeded to reaffirm its commitment to combat violence against women, highlighting that women’s rights are preserved through “local laws” and that there is no need for external solutions to protect them.

The Minister of Family, Labor and Social Services, Zahra Zumurud Selcuk, said that the Turkish constitution and local laws “guarantee the rights of women.” In addition, Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu confirmed that “our institutions and law enforcement agencies will continue to combat domestic violence and violence against women.”

It is noteworthy that earlier this month a video clip was released showing a man beating his ex-wife in the middle of the street in front of his daughter, causing a commotion in the country, which led to the arrest of the man, and The announcement Erdogan’s decision to form a parliamentary committee to evaluate legislation in order to strengthen the fight against violence against women. Despite these measures, women’s rights groups accuse the government of not enforcing the laws firmly enough and say they foster a sense of impunity. Domestic violence and crimes against women remain a serious problem in Turkey, as the number of crimes committed against them has increased over the last decade. 300 women were killed in 2020, and the number of victims of violence since the beginning of this year has reached 77, according to rights group We Will Stop Feminists.

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