The decision that the "Council of Europe Convention on Prevention and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence", known as the Istanbul Convention, will be terminated in Turkey on 1 July was published in the Official Gazette.

Background

With decree No.3718 announced in the Official Gazette on 20 March 2021 Turkey officially terminated being a party to the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence.

The Istanbul Convention, ratified by the Government of the Republic of Turkey in 2012, aims to protect women against all forms of violence, and prevent, prosecute and eliminate violence against women and domestic violence. It is the first and most comprehensive international treaty specifically addressing these issues and builds on the standards enshrined in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread human rights violations in the world. It is estimated that worldwide 1 in 3 women are subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence from a non-partner during their lifetime – a number that has remained largely unchanged over the past decade.

In Turkey, according to the latest National Research on Violence against Women from 2014, 38 percent of ever-married women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. In its most extreme form, and often as the final act on a continuum of violence, hundreds of women are murdered every year. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a further escalation of violence against women and girls around the world, due to restrictions of movement, social isolation, and economic insecurity.