Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said Tuesday that 158 women have been killed in femicides across the country in the first seven months of 2022. The number is lower than the same period of 2021 when 166 women were killed but Soylu said that they cannot tolerate “even one murder.”
In a social media post, Soylu said they were continuing their fight, in coordination with the Ministry of Family and Social Services, against domestic violence and violence against women. Sharing figures about the measures, Soylu said preventive (restraining) orders were handed to 120,645 people while 38,863 people received protection against potential cases of violence within first seven months of 2022.
Domestic violence and femicides are two issues plaguing the country and lenient sentences for perpetrators often draw public's ire. Though laws stipulate severe prison terms for perpetrators of assaults and homicides, the courts sometime hands down reduced terms if defendants exhibit “good conduct,” namely claiming remorse and “behaving well” during the hearings.
A few months ago, Turkey introduced a new bill that brought harsh sentences for crimes against women. One of the most significant changes the bill brings is limiting the legal interpretations that pave the way for reductions in perpetrators' sentences. The bill also includes stricter sentences for deliberate manslaughter, deliberate injury, threat and torture if the victim is a female. For instance, the sentence of life imprisonment usually handed down to people convicted of deliberate manslaughter will be converted to aggravated life imprisonment if committed against a woman. Those convicted of aggravated life imprisonment have little to no chance of being released on parole after serving part of their sentence.
