There have been large protests in Turkey following the Turkish government's decision to withdraw from a treaty combating violence against women.
The Council of Europe accord treaty aims to prosecute and prevent domestic violence against women and promote gender equality. Turkey had signed the treaty in 201/, however, the ruling AKP party led by Recep Erdogan has reversed the decision in a move that is certain to bring joy to hard-line conservatives in the country.
Many conservatives fear that the new laws could give homosexual people more rights, undermine the family, and allow women too much say in the country.
Currently in Turkey, 1 in 4 women suffer some form of domestic violence.
Protestors congregated in Istanbul's Kadıköy neighbourhood, in the city of Izmir, and in the capital Ankara, where they waved purple flags and shouted:
"We are not scared, we are not afraid. We shall not obey."
They also held up signs saying:
"It is women who will win this war."
"Fed up with the patriarchal state".
"I'm fed with not feeling safe. Enough!"
The Turkish minister for the family, labour and social policies minister, Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk, said that current Turkish laws were strong enough to combat these issues without the need for an international treaty. They said:
"The guarantee of women's rights are the current regulations in our bylaws, primarily our constitution. Our judicial system is dynamic and strong enough to implement new regulations as needed."
Turkey is the second country in recent times to withdraw from the treaty. In Poland, the ruling conservative party pulled Poland out of the treaty, again resulting in huge protests. Russia and Azerbaijan have also not signed the treaty.
One protestor, 43-year-old Cigdem Karadag, told reporters:
"We feel it's the end of the road. The convention was not implemented properly, but cancelling it is another level. I came here with my daughters because I want to raise them in an educated society so they will not be murdered, they will live freely and have equal rights."
The current Turkish regime under Erdogan is regarded as being far-right and authoritarian. It has cracked down heavily on opposition groups, jailed journalists and sought to ban online publications and posts critical of the government. It has also pursued a religious position that is at odds with the secular foundations on which modern Turkey is built.
[h/t: The Guardian]
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