Turkey pulls out of Istanbul Convention on women’s rights
Turkey has withdrawn from the Istanbul Convention on women’s rights, world’s first binding treaty to prevent and combat violence against women, according to a presidential decree published Saturday in the official gazette.
A woman holds a sign that reads “İpek Tekin could have been alive if Istanbul Convention was implemented” during a women’s rights protest in Istanbul, Turkey, Aug. 5, 2020. (Getty Images)
Officially called the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, the accord was established in 2011 and aims to create a legal framework to prevent and fight against violence against women and domestic violence, as well as promoting equality.
Ankara, which signed the accord in the same year and became the first country to ratify the convention, offered no reason for the withdrawal.
Opponents of the pact in Turkey say the convention undermines family unity, encourages divorce, and that its references to equality were being used by the LGBT community to gain broader acceptance in society.
Shortly after the announcement of the withdrawal, Vice President Fuat Oktay said in a post in Twitter that the government aims to further its sincere struggle to bring Turkish women’s reputation and dignity to its deserved level by protecting traditional social structure.
“The is no need to look for outside remedy or imitate others for this paramount goal. The solution is indeed lies in our traditions and customs, in our own,” Oktay wrote.
Family, Labor and Social Services Minister Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk said Turkey’s constitution and domestic regulations instead would be the “guarantee of the women’s rights.”
“Violence against women is a crime against humanity and fighting with this crime is a human rights matter. What really matters are the principles. In this regard, we will carry out our fight in determination, like we have in the past, and we will continue to uphold a zero-tolerance policy,” Selçuk wrote on Twitter.
Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said Turkey resolutely continues its struggle to make women participate more in social, economic, political, and cultural life. ”We will always say strong women strong Turkey,” he said on Twitter.
Critics of the withdrawal said it would put Turkey further out of step with the values of the European Union, which it remains a candidate to join. They argue the deal, and legislation approved in its wake, need to be implemented more stringently.
The publication of the decree sparked anger among rights groups and calls for protests in Istanbul. Gökçe Gökçen, deputy chairperson of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) said abandoning the treaty meant “keeping women second class citizens and letting them be killed.”
Opponents also argued that the withdrawal should have been brought before the Parliament to be debated.
Turkey is not the first country to move towards ditching the accord. Poland’s highest court scrutinized the pact after a cabinet member said Warsaw should quit the treaty which the nationalist government considers too liberal.
Earlier this month, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey would form a new commission in the Parliament to work on preventing violence against women.
Domestic violence is a thorny issue for Turkey where dozens of women are killed every year at the hands of their spouses or relatives.
According to an official report released in November, more than 230 women were killed last year.
Source:dailysabah.com
Turkey pulls out of Istanbul Convention on women’s rights
Turkey has withdrawn from the Istanbul Convention on women’s rights, world’s first binding treaty to prevent and combat violence against women, according to a presidential decree published Saturday in the official gazette.
A woman holds a sign that reads “İpek Tekin could have been alive if Istanbul Convention was implemented” during a women’s rights protest in Istanbul, Turkey, Aug. 5, 2020. (Getty Images)
Officially called the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, the accord was established in 2011 and aims to create a legal framework to prevent and fight against violence against women and domestic violence, as well as promoting equality.
Ankara, which signed the accord in the same year and became the first country to ratify the convention, offered no reason for the withdrawal.
Opponents of the pact in Turkey say the convention undermines family unity, encourages divorce, and that its references to equality were being used by the LGBT community to gain broader acceptance in society.
Shortly after the announcement of the withdrawal, Vice President Fuat Oktay said in a post in Twitter that the government aims to further its sincere struggle to bring Turkish women’s reputation and dignity to its deserved level by protecting traditional social structure.
“The is no need to look for outside remedy or imitate others for this paramount goal. The solution is indeed lies in our traditions and customs, in our own,” Oktay wrote.
Family, Labor and Social Services Minister Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk said Turkey’s constitution and domestic regulations instead would be the “guarantee of the women’s rights.”
“Violence against women is a crime against humanity and fighting with this crime is a human rights matter. What really matters are the principles. In this regard, we will carry out our fight in determination, like we have in the past, and we will continue to uphold a zero-tolerance policy,” Selçuk wrote on Twitter.
Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said Turkey resolutely continues its struggle to make women participate more in social, economic, political, and cultural life. ”We will always say strong women strong Turkey,” he said on Twitter.
Critics of the withdrawal said it would put Turkey further out of step with the values of the European Union, which it remains a candidate to join. They argue the deal, and legislation approved in its wake, need to be implemented more stringently.
The publication of the decree sparked anger among rights groups and calls for protests in Istanbul. Gökçe Gökçen, deputy chairperson of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) said abandoning the treaty meant “keeping women second class citizens and letting them be killed.”
Opponents also argued that the withdrawal should have been brought before the Parliament to be debated.
Turkey is not the first country to move towards ditching the accord. Poland’s highest court scrutinized the pact after a cabinet member said Warsaw should quit the treaty which the nationalist government considers too liberal.
Earlier this month, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey would form a new commission in the Parliament to work on preventing violence against women.
Domestic violence is a thorny issue for Turkey where dozens of women are killed every year at the hands of their spouses or relatives.
According to an official report released in November, more than 230 women were killed last year.
Source:dailysabah.com