The police set up a new department to handle cases of domestic violence after a rise in the number of women being murdered by their spouses.
The Domestic Violence and Violence Against Women Unit will serve under the public security department and be assigned to cases previously being handled by the homicide department. Officers working in the new unit will undergo specialized training for domestic violence cases.
The specialized unit aims to more effectively investigate cases which were previously investigated as homicide or assault cases. The police will also analyze crime statistics on the issue and draft new strategies to combat domestic violence and violence against women.
In the project which is run by the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, 500 instructors will be trained to handle domestic violence cases. Starting from 2016, some 140,000 officers, including members of the new unit, will receive training on how to prevent cases of violence in various ways which include how to approach women subjected to domestic violence and interrogation and interview techniques for victims and perpetrators.
The unit will also conduct an awareness campaign and reach out to women informing them on the assistance they can receive if they are the victims of domestic violence.
Turkey struggles to curb the disturbing trend of domestic violence which has left more than 1,100 women dead in the past five years, according to figures released by non-profit organizations (NGOs). The government has devised a new plan to prevent further cases with a road map which focuses on educating the public about violence, giving harsher penalties to those who commit violence against women, offering protection to women who have been assaulted and therapy for victims. The government also plans to increase the numbers of centers to monitor and prevent violence on a city-by-city basis and monitor women after they leave guest houses allocated to women fleeing domestic violence. For perpetrators, the government will offer treatment and anger management classes.
