Akşener vows to return Istanbul Convention for women’s rights
ANKARA
Good (İYİ) Party Chairwoman Meral Akşener has reiterated that they will immediately sign the Istanbul Convention that stipulates solid measures opposing the violence against women.
“Please be assured that we will sign the Istanbul Convention right after the May 14 [polls] and implement it. We will introduce a Türkiye strengthening with its women. We will write history in the second anniversary of our republic with women who freely live and talk,” Akşener said in her weekly address to the parliamentary group on March 22.
Criticizing the ruling government for withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention through a decree by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2021, Akşener said this move has left millions of women less secure since then.
“We will continue to stand with the women who are trying to survive, raise her voice. We will be the voice of women whose rights to speak are blocked,” she said.
She also criticized a recent discussion over the existing bill that stipulates solid measures to tackle the violence against women. “We won’t be silent, we won’t give up. We will not allow those who want to launch a discussion about the law 6284,” she said, referring to the bill on the fight against violence against women.
The discussion was launched after the ultra-conservative New Welfare Party (YRP) demanded the amendment of this law in return to it joining the People Alliance, composed of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
Even senior female officials of the AKP, including deputy parliamentary group leader, Özlem Zengin rejected this condition, stressing it was her party’s red line. Akşener defended the AKP official, saying “Although our views are different, when it is about women’s rights we will stand with Mrs. Özlem shoulder to shoulder.”
