Ministry prioritizes support for victims of violence

ANKARA

The Family and Social Services Ministry has initiated an application to prioritize support for women and children who are victims of violence, as a social support hotline has seen a significant surge in calls since March, Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş has said.

Responding to a parliamentary question submitted by Sera Kadıgil, Istanbul deputy of the Workers' Party of Türkiye (TİP), Göktaş stated that the "183" hotline, operated by the ministry, is widely utilized by women and children in need of psychological, legal and economic counseling, especially those who have experienced or are at risk of violence.

With the surge in calls since March, the need to prioritize urgent cases has emerged, Göktaş said.

In response to this requirement, Göktaş revealed a new application that will help connect those who identify themselves as victims of violence with a support staff member immediately, and if necessary, the appropriate authorities will be directed to the location. 

Göktaş also provided information on the electronic ankle monitor application, emphasizing its effectiveness in ensuring protection and intervention in high-risk cases by monitoring both victims of violence and perpetrators.

With domestic violence and femicide remaining a grave problem in Türkiye, the lack of proactive risk assessment, preventative measures, and deterrence of penalties is seen as a hindrance to significantly reducing violence.

In the meantime, Göktaş attended the "Supporting Provincial Action Plans to Combat Early and Forced Marriages Workshop" in the capital Ankara on Sept. 4.

Reminding that nearly 52,000 girls were forcibly married in 2005, the peak year for early marriages, Göktaş said that this number fell to 11,000, with a 78 percent decrease last year.

Stating that the ministry does not evaluate this decrease as a sufficient and successful figure, Göktaş said, “Our goal is the complete elimination of early and forced marriages.”

Stressing that early and forced marriages are a global issue, Göktaş stated that a strong cooperation with public institutions, the private sector, universities and NGOs is vital to the solution.

Reminding that provincial action plans on combating early and forced marriages have been put into effect in the country's 23 of all 81 provinces as of the end of 2022, Göktaş said that they have prepared action plans in five earthquake-hit provinces as girls in the region face the risk of early marriage due to economic insufficiency and disruption of education in the post-disaster period.