Over half million judicial measures taken in cases of violence against women in Turkey: Ministry

ANKARA-Demirören News Agency

Courts across Turkey have made decisions for judicial protection and precautionary measures in more than 553,000 cases of violence against women in 2019, a spokesperson of the Justice Ministry said on Dec. 10.

“The courts, which evaluate cautionary measure demands sensitively, have given 553,463 precautionary and protective decisions this year,” said Ertuğrul Çekin, referring to the 2012 legislation on the protection of the family and the prevention of violence against women.

Women groups often urge Turkish authorities for the effective implementation of the Law No. 6284 and the Council of Europe convention on preventing violence against women, also known as the Istanbul Convention, to battle against femicides and violence against women.

As part of a two-year urgent action plan, the justice, family, interior, health and education ministries will cooperate to prevent violence against women, said Çekin.

“Special courts will be determined to make decisions on precautionary measures, and to follow their implementation. Thus, specialized courts will be founded to give fast precautionary decisions about women exposed to violence,” he said.

Provincial officers of the Family Ministry will convey examination reports to the prosecutors and courts in cases of domestic violence, he added.

According to figures provided by Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu (We Will Stop Femicides Platform), which keeps a tally of femicides across the country, some 402 women were killed by men in Turkey in 2019.

The murder of a young woman, Ceren Özdemir, in the Black Sea province of Ordu on Dec. 3 became the latest in a string of similar femicides to spark nationwide outrage on Turkey’s social media.