Human Rights Association (IHD) Amed Branch, has published the last one-year balance of violence against women. Speaking at the meeting held at the branch building, IHD Women Commission member Ezgi Sılademir said that 3 women were killed every day and 4 women were killed in 2019 in Amed by their relatives.

IHD Women's Commissioner Derya Yıldırım read the report on violence against women in Northern Kurdistan, covering the year from 25 November 2018 to 25 November 2019.

The report underlined that in the war that began in Syria in 2011, nearly 5,000 Yazidi women were taken prisoners by ISIS mercenaries and that the fate of 3,000 women is still uknown.

The report also underlined that in Syria, Baghouz, mass graves where women and children were buried had been found.

Reminding that in the report published by the World Economic Forum Gender Equality, Turkey ranks 130 of 149 countries in 2018, Yıldırım also quoted the following: "The current political structure of the country ignores gender equality and politicians' discourses are in this direction.

Current policies confine women to the home and try to keep them away from social life and equal participation in social life. Women's participation in politics is not equal to that of men.

In Parliament only 102 of the 600 deputies are women. The Parliament of the country is in fact the most striking indicator of gender inequality. Men decide women's policies. Women who have had the opportunity to take part in politics are working in more secondary areas rather than effective ones. This low rate of participation in politics is not only about being a member of parliament, but women in the representation of political parties today are negligible."

Women in prison

There are women prisoners who have been physically tortured and beaten by law enforcement officers during their referrals to the hospitals and the court, said the report. Investigations are being initiated against none of the violent officers, and problems continue to increase due to impunity.

Police violence

The report also mentioned the violence that trans women are exposed to in the society. This number rises to 97 percent in cases of verbal violence, insult and humiliation. 77 percent of the respondents stated that they were exposed to sexual violence, while 86 percent said they did not have a record of police detention."

54 women killed in Kurdistan

The IHD report on violence against women in the past year states that, apart from the 16 women who committed suicide, 54 women were killed in Kurdistan as a result of domestic and social male violence.

It was also emphasized that 13 women were found to have died suspiciously, 61 women were injured and 9 women were sexually assaulted.

In the report that includes the murders in the family and social areas it was reported that 8 women were killed in Urfa, 7 in Amed, 6 in Antep, 5 in Maraş, 4 in Batman, 4 in Malatya, 3 in Mardin, 3 in Igdir, 3 in Elazığ, 3 in Dersim, 3 in Ağrı, 2 in Erzurum, 1 in Van, 1 in Bitlis, 1 in Şırnak, 1 in Bingöl and 1 in Hakkari. 

In the report, 29 women were killed in the family by firearms, 6 women with sharp-piercing weapons, 2 women were burned, 1 woman was strangled, 1 woman was beaten and 2 women were killed in unknown manner.

Furthermore 4 women were killed with firearms, 8 women with sharp-piercing weapons and 28 women were injured by assault.

In the report, 11 women were killed in social places with firearms, 2 women were killed by cutting and piercing weapons; 6 women were injured with firearms, 3 women with cutting-piercing weapons, 9 women were beaten.

In the report it was said that the death of 13 women was deemed suspicious in Batman. Likewise, 1 in Erzurum, 2 in Erzincan, 2 in Hakkari, 1 in Antep, 2 in Malatya, 2 in Amed, 1 in Ardahan and 1 in Siirt were considered as suspicious death.