Six out of ten women killed in Turkey applied to authorities for protection

Duvar English

Six out of every ten women murdered in Turkey applied to authorities for security protection before they were killed, new data released by the We Will Stop Femicides Platform revealed.

These new statistics shared on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (Nov. 25) show judicial complicity - intentional or not - in the sky-high rate of women killed in the country. 

According to the Platform, 2,534 women were murdered in Turkey between 2010 and 2020. Further data released by daily Bianet on Nov. 24 shows that from January 1, 2021, to November 23, 2021 – 326 days – at least 285 women were killed by men in Turkey, while at least 711 were violently injured. In November alone, at least 29 women were killed and 41 injured. 

Femicides have reached record levels in the past decade. In 2008, the first year that the Platform began tracking femicides, there were at least 66 women murdered by men in Turkey. Last year, according to the Platform, that number was 410. The Platform’s data also shows more murders in 2021 than does Bianet - according to their data, 353 women have been murdered so far this year. 

Despite this, Turkey has made moves in recent years to lessen protections for women. In July 2021, Turkey formally withdrew from the Istanbul Convention (the Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence), a move that advocacy groups say was a major setback for women in the country. Many of those that perpetuate gender-based violence or killing are also let off with light sentences or even allowed to kill again.