The Turkish government has taken a dramatic and meaningful step in its campaign to combat the escalating incidence of domestic abuse and the honor killings of females there. The Turkish Minister of Family and Social Policies, Fatma Sahin, met on July 28, 2011 with the sister of a recent honor-killing victim whose case has shocked Turkey. Following the meeting, Sahin told reporters that she would later meet with the victim’s mother. Hurriyet Daily News is reporting in "New minister determined to fight violence against women" July 28, 2011 that in a statement of solidarity with the family, she states, “Their problem is ours.”
Latest Honor Killing in Turkey Coincides with UN Report
The honor killing victim whose case prompted a personal visit from Minister Sahin was Ceylan Soysal .The 21-year-old woman was murdered recently by her 17-year-old brother in the southeastern Turkish province of Hatay because she had brought shame on her family.
Coinciding with this latest honor killing was the release of a United Nations report highly critical of Turkey. According to Alyson Neel in Today’s Zaman “UN Report: Turkey exceeds US, EU in violence against women” July 17, 2011, “Thirty-nine percent of women in Turkey have suffered from physical violence at some time ... In comparison, this figure is 22 percent in the US and between 3 to 35 percent in 20 European countries. Turkey struggles more than the US and many EU countries with violence against women...” The report goes on to say that the only countries that exceed Turkey in rates of violence against women are those of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific island nation of Kiribati.
Turkish Government Now Serious About Woman Abuse
This personal meeting by a minister combined with new recently announced measures to combat domestic abuse show this government is serious about ending the rampant violence against Turkish women.
Indicating that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is taking a personal interest in this campaign, Sahin said that he will be involved in monitoring the results of new legislation aimed at preventing domestic violence and honor killings.
Pointing to a two-pronged approach to combating the problem Sahin states, “Young girls should be empowered as individuals. This is possible through education and economic independence. There should also be a transformation in male mentality and we are monitoring several long-term and medium-term plans on what to do about men’s conception of women’s ‘honor,’”
Head of Religious Directorate: Abuse is the Whole World’s Problem
Turkey is officially a secular state although almost 100% of the population is Muslim. Recently the head of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs, Mehmet Gormez, denied that Islam plays any role in the mistreatment of women, or at least, no more a role than any other religion. In “Cleric slams abuse of women in Turkey” Hurriyet Daily News, July 21, 2011 he states,“People sometimes try to rationalize their bad behaviors by using religion. This has been the case in almost every culture and religion,” Gormez blames what he called “excessive ignorance” about Islam for the high rates of woman abuse.
Gormez also states that his directorate has been working for ten years on a “road map aimed at eliminating incorrect views and attitudes toward women’s place in society.” Later he adds, “We have not been working enough on the matter.”
Prime Minister Erdogan has maintained that women are respected in Turkish society. On International Women’s Day, March 8, 2011 Turkish Press reported that Erdogan characterized discrimination against women as inhuman, adding that Turkish traditions place women at the center of the household and social and economic life.
On the same day as Erdogan was issuing these assurances about women’s high status in Turkish life, Minister Sahin announced that the threat of violence against a woman would now be punishable, whether or not the threat is carried out. This, she said, would ensure a quicker response from police, who would then have more authority to arrest the person threatening.
Serious New Measures: Electronic Cuffs and Alarm Necklaces
Since then, the new reports of domestic violence rates in Turkey have prompted President Abdullah Gul to call for an extensive investigation. Hurriyet Daily News in “Turkish gov’t, president step up women’s abuse fight “ July 19, 2011 reports that the State Audit Board, or DDK, has been told to investigate all aspects of violence against women in Turkey. All services related to woman abuse, such as legal or administrative, are to be assessed as to quality and efficacy.
Also, Minister Sahin announced that electronic cuffs will be used to provide monitoring of offenders who are under a restraining order, and in addition the ministry will distribute special alarm necklaces and bracelets to women at risk of physical violence. The alarm will be relayed to a call centre and then to the police. Similar devices are also being installed in the women’s homes.
The issue of gender discrimination in Turkish society has long been recognized and is the subject of study. Recent reports have raised alarms that the Turkish government has not been effective in curbing the abuse of women there. By announcing these new measures, the administration of Prime Minister Erdogan acknowledges that it is time to put a serious and comprehensive anti-abuse program into effect
Jen L. Jones - Based in Canada, Jones writes on human rights, history,and the natural world. She focuses also on Turkish and Scottish travel and ...
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