Gender-based violence in Turkey has been on the rise both in the domestic and public sphere, and four out of 10 women in the country have experienced intimate partner violence, according to a report by United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Reem Alsalem.

The report was released as part of the UN Human Rights Council’s ongoing 53rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Alsalem said that official statements by Turkish authorities exacerbate gender-based violence, and called on the government to reinstate the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention, which Turkey left in 2021.

In the past six years, police records show a steady increase in domestic violence throughout Turkey. The number of cases per year rose to 268,817 in 2021, nearly doubling 2016’s 162,110 figure.

Alsalem said insufficient and ineffective protection measures were a key issue, and that in many cases of murder committed by former or current intimate partners, victims had previously reported violence to the police, but sufficient and effective protection was not provided.

The report also addresses violence against women in politics, highlighting the low representation of women in parliament and the fact that there is only one woman in the Presidential Cabinet. It notes that one of the main obstacles to women’s participation in political and public life is the risk of gender-based violence or harassment.

Highlighting that the government does not include women’s organisations in decision-making processes concerning women’s rights, Alsalem further stresses that female human rights defenders, including Kurdish women, face violations of their rights to freedom of expression, thought, association, and peaceful assembly.

Child marriages in the country are another issue highlighted in the report. It states that although the legal age of marriage under the Turkish Civil Code is 18, with parental or guardians’ consent, it can be reduced to 17, and in exceptional cases, with court approval, to 16. While religious marriages are not recognised by Turkish authorities, they are met with tolerance.

A survey conducted in 2014 revealed that over 26 percent of women were married when they were minors. Twenty percent of child brides were forced into their marriages.

Refugee and migrant women are less likely to report crimes against their people due to fear of deportation, and less able to relocate or seek protection, Alsalem found.