According to the KCDP, at least 300 women were murdered by men in Turkey in 2020. In almost all cases, the perpetrator was from the closest circle of acquaintances. 171 other women were found dead in a suspicious manner.
In Turkey, at least 300 women have been murdered by men close to them in the past year. Another 171 women died under suspicious circumstances. This is the result of the annual femicide report of the platform "We will stop femicide" (tr. Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız). The organization points out that while violence against women has increased worldwide in the shadow of Coronavirus pandemic, in Turkey the AKP government's announcement to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention has actually fueled gender-based violence. The Council of Europe convention aims to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence. Conservative and Islamist circles in Turkey had initiated the discussion about pulling out, saying the convention undermined traditional values and made men "scapegoats." In response, the government advocated its own national path, with a legal text that would be more in line with Turkish culture and traditions.
97 women murdered by husbands
The annual report of the Istanbul-based women's rights organization KCDP contains data on all murders of women recorded by the police or published in the media. In the entire year of 2020, it says, husbands were the perpetrators in 97 murders, cohabiting partners in 54 cases, other male acquaintances in 38 cases, ex-husbands in 21 cases, sons in 18 cases, fathers in 17 cases, brothers-in-law, fathers-in-law or similarly related perpetrators in 16 cases, ex-boyfriends in eight cases and brothers in five cases. Only three women were murdered by strangers, according to the organization. In another 23 cases, the platform was also able to establish a connection between victims and perpetrators.
Methods of murder
In 2020, according to KCDP, 170 women were shot, 83 stabbed, 26 strangled, 10 beaten to death, 2 burned, 1 poisoned, and 1 thrown from a height.
The motives
In 182 cases, the motive for the femicides could not be determined; 96 women were killed because they wanted to make decisions about their own lives. Concrete occasions were divorce wishes or the rejection of a man as a life partner. In 22 cases, money was the motive for murder.
Crime scenes
181 women were murdered in their own homes, 48 in the open street, 15 at work, 14 in a park and 1 in another public place, 11 in a car, 5 in a hotel, 4 in a remote location, 1 in a lumberyard, and another woman at the hairdresser's.
