The U.N. rapporteur on violence against women, Reem Alsalem, Wednesday said that the Turkish government has made several improvements in its legislation on violence against women in the past few years but that more is needed to address ongoing issues challenges.
Despite the significant progress that Turkey has made over the last 15 years in advancing women’s rights, the country is now at a crossroads, the U.N. rapporteur concluded following her visit to Turkey.
In a statement, Alsalem acknowledged the particularly challenging context within which the government of Turkey and other stakeholders tackle the issue of violence against women and girls, compounded by the country’s economic situation and “the implications of generously hosting close to 4 million refugees – mostly Syrians under temporary protection.”
The U.N. further quoted Alsalem as saying that Turkey had made “considerable progress in working towards sustainable development, taking fundamental steps towards eradicating poverty and increasing support for marginalized and disadvantaged sections of society, including women and girls.”
“Alsalem acknowledged the solid legal framework for the prevention of violence against women and girls through the Law to Protect Family and Prevent Violence against Women (Law 6284), together with Turkey’s four national action plans and specialized initiatives, including the emergency support mobile phone app: KADES,” it added.
“Turkey has made important legal and policy reforms to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, but these fall short of its full capacity, potential and responsibilities to protect women and girls living on Turkish soil and do not correspond to the gravity of the situation,” Alsalem said.
Alsalem has been in Turkey for 10 days and met within this scope with ministers, institutions and representatives from international organizations, civil society organizations, trade unions, bar associations and Turkish and female victims of violence who are foreign nationals.
The U.N. rapporteur also urged Turkey to reverse its decision to drop out of a European treaty combating gender-based abuses.
Alsalem expressed "profound regret" at Ankara’s decision last year to leave a treaty that Turkey took pride in helping draft more than a decade ago.
"I really urge the government of Turkey to reconsider this decision," Alsalem told reporters.
Turkey became the first country to sign the convention in 2011 and ratified it by a vote in Parliament the following year.
Turkey withdrew from the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention last year, prompting reactions from women’s rights groups and Western countries.
Opponents of the pact in Turkey say the convention undermines family unity, encourages divorce and that the LGBT community was using its references to equality to gain broader social acceptance.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan underlined it wouldn't be a step backward for women and in March, Turkey’s Parliament ratified a bill aimed at combating violence against women that included introducing tougher sentences if the victim of a violent crime is a woman and making persistent stalking punishable with prison time.
