Justice Minister Akın Gürlek on Tuesday reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to combating violence against women, saying that legal measures alone are not sufficient and that effective coordination among institutions and greater public awareness are essential to addressing the issue.
Speaking at the 19th Meeting of the Coordination Board for Combating Violence Against Women in Ankara, Gürlek said the government maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward violence against women and continues to strengthen legal and institutional mechanisms to protect victims.
“We can never accept even a single woman being subjected to violence,” Gürlek said during the meeting, which was also attended by Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi, Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş and Religious Affairs President Safi Arpaguş.
The justice minister highlighted a series of reforms introduced in recent years, including constitutional amendments guaranteeing women’s rights and legal changes that increased penalties for crimes committed against women.
Gürlek noted that intentional injury against women is now considered grounds for detention, while persistent stalking has been established as a separate criminal offense. He also said provisions allowing sentence reductions for so-called “good conduct” in crimes against women had been removed.
To improve access to justice, victims of offenses such as stalking, intentional injury and torture can request free legal representation through local bar associations, Gürlek said. He added that courts designated to implement protective measures under Law No. 6284 on the Protection of the Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women have been established in courthouses across the country.
According to Gürlek, specialized prosecution offices handling domestic violence and violence against women cases now operate in 303 courthouses across all 81 provinces.
He also highlighted the expansion of judicial interview rooms designed to prevent victims from being retraumatized during legal proceedings. Türkiye currently has 176 such rooms in 167 courthouses, where more than 173,000 statements have been recorded since their establishment.
Gürlek said judicial support and victim services directorates have provided psychosocial assistance to more than 2.5 million people to date.
“Success in combating violence against women can only be achieved through strong institutional cooperation, effective implementation, swift intervention and public awareness,” Gürlek said, pledging continued coordination among government agencies to strengthen protections for women and improve access to justice.
