While women’s organisations in Turkey are calling for effective legislation to prevent violence against women, the AKP government is concentrating on protecting the family.

The law which was enacted 2 years ago is entitled: Law Pertaining to the Protection of the Family and the Prevention of Violence against Women.

The main demand of women’s organisations on 25 November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, is for the AKP government to enact effective legislation to prevent lethal violence against women. Women have protested at the increasing murders of women and called for the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention to be implemented.

However, the AKP's focus as regards the “basis of the struggle against violence against women” is the protection of the family, as can be understood from the title of the law: Law pertaining to the Protection of the Family and the Prevention of Violence against Women.

In the draft law drawn up two years ago, "domestic violence" and "violence against women” in “public and private space” were included on the insistence of women organisations. However, when the draft law reached Parliament, the words “protection of the family”, which had not previously been mentioned, were added to the draft.

Fatma Şahin, who was then the Minister for Family and Social Policies, claimed the change was merely the adding of a title.

The term “gender”, which women’s organisations had insisted on, was not included in the draft. A provision absolutely ruling out suggestion of reconciliation by institutions in cases of violence against women was also rejected.

While the law protects men, not women, and each day 4 or 5 women are killed by men, the number of women’s shelters, which play an effective role in the struggle against violence, is still far from being sufficient.

The report of TEPAV, which reflects the most extensive survey on the condition of women’s shelters in Turkey, shows how dreadful the situation of the shelters is.   According to the research of TEPAV, the number of women’s shelters across Turkey is 116.

There is no women’s shelter in 11 provinces, which are Adıyaman, Ardahan, Bartın, Bitlis, Isparta, Karaman, Muş, Niğde, Rize, Sinop and Urfa.

There are a total of 88 social centres affiliated to the Ministry of Family and Social Policies across Turkey while there is no such centre in 29 provinces.  Additionally, while there is no social centre in the provinces of Artvin, Bayburt, Bilecik, Gümüşhane, Kastamonu, Urfa and Tokat, there are also no family consultation or women consultation centres in these provinces.

While in 42 provinces, there are women consultation services functioning under the Metropolitan Municipalities, in 39 provinces there are no such centres.

The situation in Preventing Violence and Monitoring Centres (ŞÖNİM), which were opened in 2012 after the enactment of the new law, is also no better. These centres were opened only in 14 provinces. The hot line Alo 183 for the first reception of complaints and the shelters were also taken under the auspices of ŞÖNİMs.

One of the obstacles in effectively struggling against violence against women and women killings remains the application of provocation reduction in the cases of women murders, despite the Turkish Penal Code assigning heavy sentences, including aggravated life sentences for “premeditated murders”.  In addition to provocation reductions, the courts also apply reductions for good behaviour so that the murderers receive almost no punishment.