«Withdraw decision, apply contract». Withdraw the decision, respect the Convention.
Ten, one hundred, one thousand voices in unison protesting and screaming at the top of their lungs. They do it for women, for their mothers, for their daughters, for their friends. They do this because they are afraid and no longer feel safe after their country. Turkey, the first signatory of the Council of Europe Convention, the international charter against violence against women, no longer adheres to the treaty.
Since Friday the streets of many cities, such as Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir have been filled with people.
Above all women, with masks and purple flags of the Turkish platform “Let’s stop the femicides”.
But how is it possible that Turkey, the first signatory state, has decided to pull out of it. “You have to understand that here, the Convention has started a great dispute. On the one hand, government supporters, conservatives and opposition parties. On the other, modern citizens and secularists. Most of the conservative people he thinks the Convention encourages gay relationships and gay marriage and destroys the Turkish family structure. They also think the Convention is the result of pressure from LGBTI lobbies and promotes perversion. Perhaps it was done to curry favor with the more conservative base of the electorate ”. He tells us Göze, 29-year-old girl, lawyer present at the protests in Istanbul.
The Convention provides for protective and preventive measures against domestic violence and violence against women. “When and if the precautionary decisions were implemented, serious disputes began. Many people claimed that the Convention and the law moved innocent husbands and partners from the family home. Damaging family relationships and the father-child relationship. For this reason, too, the most conservative have been calling for repeal for some time », continues Göze.
Then, it happened. “It was still a big shock to all of us. But since Saturday it has been debated whether an international agreement can be repealed by a presidential decision. Most public law specialists believes that the presidential decision is void. And that the Convention is still in force. We have to understand it ».
The protests in the square have turned into real clashes with the police. «Atrocious things are happening in our country right now. Protests every day, clashes between civilians and the government. I live in Antalya and have participated in all the protests that have been made in our city ». He explains to us Liza, a 17-year-old student. “We are protesting for the government to see and listen to us. We are using the hashtag #back to decision apply contract (Make the decision to apply the contract) for the government to review its position ”.
For Liza, «the really sad thing is that in Turkey, for the most conservative, women are still seen as obedient. She has to do what her husband says. Things like: “The woman’s place is the kitchen”. And if she is beaten, she was asked for it for them ».
He sought it out. How many times has this sentence been said? How much it is?
One of the many clichés that adds violence to that already suffered. According to the platform “We will stop femicides”, 82 women have been killed since the beginning of this year. While last year 409 women. Yet the Convention was in force. All the girls I spoke to told me the same sad story summarized by Nilüfer, 27, journalist and activist.
«No, the Convention has never actually been implemented. Otherwise Turkey would not be a country where women who managed to obtain protection orders from the police were also killed. The contract defines violence in an inclusive way, from physical to economic violence and deals with it in all its dimensions. However, it has never been implemented with all its capabilities. Thousands of women are victims of violence and this number is increasing. Some courts and judges do not apply the law and legislation, they do not make decisions on precautionary measures ».
In Turkey there is a femicide almost every day. For Ezgi, 24, political science student: «The Istanbul Convention was created to keep women safe. The men in government cannot make this decision alone. We won’t stop until they step back. We won’t stop until the day the femicides stop. We won’t stop until they stop killing us».
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