225 femicides in 10 months, says minister

Meltem Özgenç – ANKARA

Some 225 women have been killed in the first 10 months of this year, Turkish Family and Social Services Minister Derya Yanık has informed the media on the occasion of Nov. 25, the international Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Speaking to journalists, Yanık listed the number of femicides in the country in the last three years.

“337 women were killed in 2019, 268 in 2020 and 309 in 2021,” she said and went to say: “In the first 10 months of 2021, the number was 242. Some 225 women were murder victims in the first 10 months of this year.”

The minister added, “There is a 7 percent rise in the number comparing the two periods.”

When asked about the ministry’s policy on the issue, the ministry quickly replied, “Zero tolerance.”

“Our fight against violence against women yield results. But it will go on until one woman will not be a victim of violence,” she stated.

The ministry has prepared the 4th National Action Plan in the struggle of violence against women, which covers the years between 2021 and 2025.

“We changed the perspective which was centered on the perpetrator,” she said and explained: “The new target is to prevent the process that causes the perpetrator to make the violent action. For example, if the man has psychiatric issues, then health measures are taken immediately.”

“It is so important to have the perpetrator rehabbed,” she added.

The ministry has five targets in the 4th action plan. The very first aim is “to make the legal basis of this struggle realistic.”

“If there is a need for new regulations, we will have them,” she noted.

The second target is to “coordinate politics and the public institutions to keep one voice in the struggle.”

Yanık said, “Everybody should join the fight. Generating employment or education of women are main factors that decrease the risk of violence.”

Establishing protective and repressive services will be the third and social consciousness is the fourth target of the plan. Creation and usage of data and statistics will be the fifth aim.

According to the minister, violence is a “learnt situation.”

“We need to tell our children that violence is not the only option,” she said and reminded that apart from the femicides, women are not the only victims of violence. “There are also many men in our violence prevention and monitoring centers,” she explained.

The minister also highlighted that “violence against women” is a problem of all cultures.

“For example, France is one of the countries where the number of femicides are high,” she added.