Opinion Analysis by Taleen Gharib, Staff Writer

September 2nd, 2020

A new trend has been circulating on social media for the past week and it purports to be about ‘female empowerment’, with several women, including celebrities, taking part. Black-and-white, filtered pictures have filled Instagram feeds and nominations to contribute to the trend have been passed around. However, the true purpose behind the #ChallengeAccepted campaign has been ‘lost in translation’, and many are unaware of the story behind the campaign.

More than 450 women were killed last year in Turkey.

Femicide, the killing of women by men because they are women, has been on a dangerous increase over the years, especially in Turkey. The We Will End Femicide Platform reports hundreds of deaths every year in Turkey annually at the hands of intimate partners, such as husbands, boyfriends, ex-husbands and ex-boyfriends. Shockingly, the We Will End Femicide Platform was created due to the government’s confession that they do not keep record of such murders.

The #ChallengeAccepted campaign is bringing to light the hundreds of women being killed, and the government is turning a blind eye. Why is that?

Domestic and gender-based violence are among the most common forms of violence in the world. The current COVID-19 pandemic has caused an expected spike in such forms of violence due to lockdown measures, specifically a 38.2% increase in domestic violence was reported in Turkey. 

To put things into perspective:

• 1,804 incidents of domestic violence were reported in March 2019. In the same month of this year, the incidents increased to 2,493. 

• In a 25-year period analysis on intimate partner femicide in Turkey, a study showed that 148 out of 172 female murder victims were killed by their relatives or partners.

The taboo in Turkish culture

Male honour heavily depends on their woman’s obedience and their control over women’s sexuality, whether it be their wife, daughter or mother. There is an apparent link being made between women’s disobedience and men’s emasculation. Acts of domestic violence, including honor killings, are derived from traditions that are centuries old and have strong cultural ties. Femicides arising from women asking for divorce, separation, or rejection are often referred to as honor killings, where in fact, they are revolt killings—often excused as ‘moments of rage’ in court. Honor killings, on the other hand, occur in instances where great shame or dishonor is brought to the family, and this is often heavily influenced by social pressures and premeditation. 

The new status of women, one that is not traditionally exclusive to the role as a mother and wife, contradicts the traditional status of men and their ‘ownership’ of women. Accelerated participation in the labor force and their greater visibility has facilitated Turkish women’s movement towards individualism. Women’s growing autonomy is seen as a threat to men, as it is in opposition to the established social structure.

Despite juristic regulations and precautions made to prevent violence against women (also according to the Istanbul Convention), femicide is highly and increasingly prevalent in Turkey. This has made reporting domestic abuse very difficult as the problem is structural in nature, and women are discouraged from making such reports, as it is useless.

But the question still stands: the government is turning a blind eye. Why is that?

The Istanbul Convention vs. an Islamist Congregation?

The Istanbul Convention was opened for signature in May 2011. The purpose of the Convention is to “contribute to the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and promote substantive equality between women and men, including by empowering women”. The Convention condemns domestic and gender-based violence and aims to take all the legislative measures to protect women from verbal, physical, psychological and sexual violence.

Based on this convention, it would be safe to assume Turkey’s performance in preventing and combating any form of violence against women is outstanding, as the 81 Articles covered were supported by substantive laws and legislative measures, while considering that Turkey was the first country to ratify it in 2011.

However, statistics and reports paint quite the opposite reality for Turkey. 

From 120 murders in 2011 to 440 in 2018, the rate has nearly quadrupled in the span of 7 years. Gender-based violence has long been a deeply rooted issue in Turkey, and nowadays, more and more women are bravely speaking out. In December, 2,000 women gathered in Istanbul to perform a feminist protest dance and song (‘the rapist is you’) from Chile. The viral song defends rape victims and denounces the state for not doing enough to fight violence against women. The rally was broken up by police, and the women were bombarded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

It seems as though modern Turkey refuses to acknowledge the ‘modern’ part and has a deathly grip on the traditional values, including the ideal image of women in society. President Erdoğan released a public statement that the country could let go of the Istanbul Convention “if the people want to”, and the statement was a response to the Islamic Congregation’s accusation in July that signing the Istanbul Convention was a ‘license to declare war to our values’. The Congregation further explained how the Convention “imposes missions that are in opposition with women’s purpose of creation,” and aims to “demolish our moral structure, and the family structure that our ancestors pass onto us.”

It is widely known that the islamist group heavily influences Erdoğan’s Justice and Development party (AKP) and that meetings took place between the spokesperson of the Islamic Congregation, Ahmet Mahmut Ünlü, and President Erdoğan back in 2016. Strangely enough, back when the Convention was signed in 2011, Erdoğan was Prime Minister and no objections emerged from the Islamic Congregation at the time. Why the sudden change in stance?

Erdoğan siding with the Islamist Congregation?

Many within the AKP stood against the cancellation of the Convention, including none other than Erdogan’s daughter, Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar (also leader of the Woman and Democracy Foundation). Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention (despite its already nonexistent implementation) is a huge step in the wrong direction.

Now, if one were to take on a more political view on the situation, things could start to make some sense. Back in 2014, when the presidential elections were only weeks away, polls indicated the Middle East’s declining satisfaction with now President Erdoğan, as well as a huge division among the Turkish about Erdoğan’s performance. Considering that Turkey’s most prominent religion is Islam (98%), and the Congregation’s strong influence, Erdoğan’s decision to terminate the Istanbul Convention and satisfy the Islamic Congregation could be a bid to stir a shift in (religious) people’s affiliation. 

Nevertheless, ending this ongoing issue of violence against women requires reforms and establishment of new policies that aim to reconstruct the society as a whole. Turkey’s undeniable history of domestic violence and stable increase in revolt and ‘honor’ killings require a remodelling of the societal structure. Apart from Erdoğan’s possible political perspective, it is undeniable that he is heavily influenced by the cultural ties and conservative structure of Turkish society, as he is one of many politicians and public figures who have publicly made sexist statements against women.

International coverage of these tragedies is critical. Such murders are very common worldwide without any media coverage, and it is within our moral obligation to shed light on such matters. 

References:

477 women were killed in 2018 in Turkey: NGO - Turkey News. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/477-women-were-killed-in-2018-in-turkey-ngo-141718

DEVAMINI OKU. (2020, January 20). Retrieved from http://kadincinayetlerinidurduracagiz.net/veriler/2890/2019-report-of-we-will-end-femicide-platform

Crimes decrease, domestic violence increases in Istanbul - Turkey News. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/crimes-decrease-domestic-violence-increases-in-istanbul-153623

Karbeyaz, K., Yeti̇ş, Y., Güneş, A., & Şi̇mşek, Ü. (2018). Intimate partner femicide in Eskisehir, Turkey 25 years analysis. Journal of forensic and legal medicine, 60, 56-60.

Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Full List. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/rms/090000168008482e

Kakissis, J. (2019, September 15). 'We Don't Want To Die': Women In Turkey Decry Rise In Violence And Killings. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2019/09/15/760135010/we-dont-want-to-die-women-in-turkey-decry-rise-in-violence-and-killings

Police break up Istanbul protest of violence against women: DW: 09.12.2019. Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/police-break-up-istanbul-protest-of-violence-against-women/a-51583766

Poushter, J. (2020, May 31). Support for Turkey's Erdogan drops sharply in Middle East. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/30/support-for-turkeys-erdogan-drops-sharply-in-middle-east/

McKernan, B. (2020, July 23). Murder in Turkey sparks outrage over rising violence against women. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/23/turkey-outrage-rising-violence-against-women

Will Erdogan bow to the demands of an Islamist congregation? (n.d.). Retrieved August 04, 2020, from https://www.duvarenglish.com/politics/2020/07/09/will-erdogan-bow-to-the-demands-of-an-islamist-congregation/