[ad_1]
Conservative authorities believe that the international document is being used to “normalize homosexuality.”
Turkey announced its withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention to Prevent and Combat Violence against Women. The reason, as stated in Ankara, was the substitution of its essence and the “normalization of homosexuality.”
In the European Union, the Turkish authorities’ decision was called “catastrophic news”, and US President Joe Biden said of “profound disappointment.” Correspondent.net says the details.
Turkey sends a dangerous signal to the world
The Convention for the Protection of Women was adopted in Istanbul in 2011 (which is why it is also called the Istanbul Convention), becoming the first European agreement to combat domestic violence.
It is the first internationally binding legislation designed to protect the rights of women around the world and at all times, be it in peace or in war. It lays down general principles on how these rights should be protected.
Among other things, the Istanbul Convention criminalizes psychological, physical and sexual violence, forced abortion, marriage and sterilization, and sexual harassment.
To date, 34 countries have ratified it. Turkey was the first among them. Ukraine signed the document in 2011, but never ratified it. About this in detail in the material What prevents the ratification of the Istanbul Convention.
On March 20, it became known that Turkish President Recep Erdogan decided to withdraw the country from the Istanbul Convention. On the same day, thousands of people took to the streets of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir to protest against this decision. Protesters fear an increase in domestic violence in the country.
Protests against Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul / EPA Convention
The Turkish government says that withdrawing from the agreement does not mean weakening the protection of women’s rights. Zehra Zumrut, Minister of Family, Labor and Social Services, says that women’s rights are already protected in the country’s constitution and national legislation.
Turkish authorities do not keep statistics on femicides (deliberate gender-based killings of women), but the media write that killings of women have become more frequent in Turkey in recent years.
The human rights organization Human Rights Watch, in its latest report on Turkey, warned of the country’s possible withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, noting that “domestic violence and violence against women are major problems” in the country.
Hundreds of women die from domestic violence in Turkey every year, according to women’s human rights organizations.
Stop Femicide, a local NGO, reports that at least 300 women and girls died from domestic and gender-based violence in Turkey in 2020, but this number could be even higher, because not all victims of violence are identified as such by police officers. order .
According to the World Health Organization, 38 percent of women in this country experience intimate partner violence during their lifetime. In Europe, this figure is 25 percent.
Commenting on the authorities’ decision, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said that new cases of violence against women appear every day in Turkey.
Erdogan’s decision was criticized by many countries, organizations and politicians. Council of Europe Secretary General Maria Peichinovich-Buric called it “disastrous news.”
“We deeply regret and express a misunderstanding due to the decision of the Turkish government,” said EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell.
The decision runs the risk of jeopardizing the protection and fundamental rights of women and girls in Turkey and sends a dangerous message to the world, he said.
The French Foreign Ministry said Erdogan’s scandalous decision marked a “new setback in the protection of human rights.”
“Neither culture, nor religion, nor traditions can serve as an excuse to ignore violence against women,” colleagues from Germany said in turn.
US President Joe Biden said he was disappointed with Turkey’s “unjustified” withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention and Suppression of Violence against Women.
According to him, quoted on the White House website, there is an increase in the number of cases of domestic violence around the world, including reports of an increase in the number of murders of women in Turkey, the first country. in signing the convention.
“This is a disappointing step backwards for the international movement to end violence against women worldwide,” Biden said in a statement.
On March 22, Turkey explained the reasons for its decision: the gist of the convention was changed and used to “normalize homosexuality.” This is stated in a statement from the President’s Public Relations Department.
The statement said that the original goal of protecting women’s rights “was assumed by a group of people who were trying to normalize homosexuality.” This is incompatible with Turkey’s social and family values, Erdogan said.
This is the principle of gender equality and non-discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, enshrined in the Istanbul Convention. Turkish conservatives see it as “propaganda for homosexuality.”
The president also noted that Turkey is not the only country that has serious doubts about the convention. Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia have not ratified it, Ankara recalled.
The statement also said that Turkey’s withdrawal “in no way means” that the country endangers the protection of women. It indicates that Turkey will carry out reforms to combat the increasing violence against women.
News of Correspondent.net on Telegram. Subscribe to our channel https://t.me/korrespondentnet
