Turkey observes 56 femicides and suspicious women's deaths in January

Duvar English

A total 31 women were killed by men in January in Turkey, the We Will Stop Femicides Platform said on Feb. 2, while 25 women were found dead under suspicious circumstances over the same period.

11 women were killed by their legal spouses, four by men they were in relationships with, two by men they were formerly involved with, and nine by relatives, including three sons and two fathers.

A majority of 20 femicides in January took place in the woman's home, although six men committed these crimes in the streets. 

The motive behind 14 of these femicides remains unknown, while 12 of the women were killed for wanting to separate from the assailant.

13 women were slain with firearms, 10 with blades, three by drowning, two by beating, one by chemicals and two women were burned to death in January.

Turkey has made moves in recent years to lessen protections for women. In July 2021, the country 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. Turkey was the first country to sign the Convention back in 2011.

Some 334 women were murdered by men in 2022, while 245 women were found dead under suspicious circumstances over the same period, according to the We Will Stop Femicides Platform.

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