The Interior Ministry announced that the rate of murders of women decreased by 32% in January and February, compared to the same period last year. It is a much-welcomed figure for the country where murders at the hands of angry spouses or other men remain a thorny issue.
Forty women were killed in the first two months of 2020, while this number was 59 between January and February 2019.
In a statement, the Interior Ministry said they also stepped up measures against perpetrators of violence targeting women. In the past two years, there has been a 92% increase in restraining orders for perpetrators. Also, more women had access to KADES, an app allowing them to immediately report any case of violence by spouses to police. More than 23,000 women sought help via the app, the figures show.
Domestic violence claimed the lives of 932 women between 2016 and 2018. Turkey is striving to eradicate the disturbing phenomenon by increasing prison terms for perpetrators and awareness campaigns denouncing violence targeting women, a product of a twisted patriarchal mindset. Some perpetrators justify murders by saying the victim deserved it for "staining their honor" or cheating and in the case of former husbands, marrying someone else. Existing laws do not tolerate domestic violence or violence against women but a debatable interpretation of the laws by courts paves the way for perpetrators to get away with relatively lenient prison terms. Restraining orders are also often violated due to their loose implementation. Turkey seeks an overhaul of laws to bring harsher sentences for culprits.
