Türkiye’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention has led to a surge of murders, a femicide, and Turkish women have had enough. The country withdrew from the Convention in 2021, leading to an instant increase in murders where women are the victims, and men—mostly family members—are the perpetrators.
The Istanbul Convention, also known as the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, is said to be “a major human rights treaty establishing comprehensive legal standards to ensure women’s right to be free from violence” by the Council of Europe. It was adopted on April 7, 2011, and has been in place since August 2014.
Additionally, The Istanbul Convention protects women from other forms of violence: psychological violence, stalking, physical violence, sexual violence, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, forced abortion and sterilization, as well as sexual harassment. It follows actions known as ‘the four Ps,’ which are: prevention, protection, prosecution, and coordinated policies. These actions are rooted in gender-based violence prevention.
UN Women gave a statement in 2021 urging Türkiye to reconsider their withdrawal, highlighting the increase in violence against women since the COVID-19 pandemic. UN Women stated that “the ratification and implementation of the Istanbul Convention […] is a crucial commitment” to ensure development and avoid regression.
According to Hürcan Aslı Aksoy in an article for the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, 84 percent of the Turkish public opposed the idea of withdrawing, yet President Erdoğan went through with it. The withdrawal led to an uprising among the female population since 2020 when the possibility of withdrawing was introduced, continuing to now. A Turkish advocacy group, KCDF, calls violent actions following the withdrawal a femicide, reporting that 3,185 women were killed by men between 2008 to 2019 (averaging 265 murders a year) as well as 1,499 murders and 1,030 suspicious deaths between 2020 to 2024 (averaging 505 deaths a year).
Moreover, the withdrawal has created cultural violence. Women and girls are at an increased risk of violence and death at their workplace and schools, they are being harassed in broad daylight, sexual violence is rampant no matter the age of the woman, and those who perpetuate this violence are not facing sufficient consequences.
Such events have led to demonstrations in several cities and movements on social media spread through the hashtag #turkishwomenareindanger. This hashtag has regained importance and attention this month with the murders of two 19-year-old Turkish girls. The perpetrator was 19-year-old Semih Çelik who killed his girlfriend Aysenur Halilin in a brutal, horrifying manner, then went on to kill Ikbal Uzuner who had reported him to the police multiple times for harassment and stalking.
Under the given hashtag, women are reporting and speaking up against the government and blaming the patriarchy, saying that they have been gutting women’s protection laws and repeatedly letting go of offenders, and against anti-women groups for spreading misogyny.
Turkish women continue to call for the reinstatement of the Istanbul Convention and specifically the 6284 law with its preventive and protective measures. These claims challenge the government, pushing institutions to do better in acting against anti-women chats, forums, and hate groups.
Finally, women call for those outside Türkiye to join their fight by educating themselves on hate directed towards women inside and outside the country, educating their peers, and helping on social media by using hashtags such as #reenact6284 and #istanbulconventionkeepsalive.
