Parliament to discuss women protection law

ANKARA-Hürriyet Daily News

If the law is passed in the Parliament, Centers for the Prevention and Tracking of Violence will be opened around Turkey. HDN photo

The draft law significantly improving state protection for abused women was submitted to Parliament yesterday, bringing extended support for victims while tightening the leash on abusers through new tracking technologies.

If the law is passed, Centers for the Prevention and Tracking of Violence will be opened around Turkey to provide support to women 24/7. The centers will provide financial aid as well as psychological and legal support for women and their children.

New technologies will be introduced for tracking cases of abuse. Women will be given “panic buttons” in order to alert authorities when in danger, while ankle monitors will be used to track the whereabouts of the abuser.

Women protected under the law will be provided with new employment and housing away from the abusive spouse, and the victims can also be put into the witness protection program if a judge rules the situation is life-threatening.

The first step in protecting women with the proposed law is removing the abuser from their shared home and issuing a restraining order. The abuser will have to hand in his registered guns and weapons. The law also prohibits the abuser from approaching the victim while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and stipulates treatment for the abuser against such addictions.