In Turkey, the Association for Struggle Against Sexual Violence (CSMD) has been fighting gender-based violence (GBV) for nearly a decade. Their work is especially challenging in a social and political climate that has become increasingly hostile. Recently, the country pulled back on the protection of women and victims in a dramatic turnaround.
TURKEY’S WITHDRAWAL FROM THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION
In March 2021, Turkey’s president announced the country’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention by decree. Feminist organizations, including CSMD, and civil society mobilized, bringing the decision before the Council of State in an attempt to reverse it. After months of protests and public outcry, the Council confirmed Turkey’s exit from the first international treaty to set legally binding standards for preventing violence against women.
This decision bears a strong symbolic message, considering that the Convention was signed in Istanbul just 10 years earlier to create a binding legal framework for its signatories. The Turkish government defended its decision by claiming that the treaty promoted homosexuality and “threatened traditional family values,” while also arguing that it contributed to the rise of divorce rates in Turkey.
However, organizations have seen a different reality. Gender-based violence – GBV has spiked dramatically: between 2020 and 2022, femicides increased by 23%. On average, every day in Turkey, a woman is murdered by a man.
“Once again, we had to fight for our most basic rights. The political climate in Turkey has become harsher, especially with the elections approaching. We resist all these obstacles through solidarity and an organized fight against GBV,” says a CSMD member.
| WHAT IS THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION? The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, commonly known as the Istanbul Convention, is an international treaty signed by 36 countries. It provides a legal and institutional framework for addressing gender-based and sexual violence, requiring governments to pass laws criminalizing domestic violence, marital rape, and female genital mutilation. It’s the first legally binding, pan-European tool offering comprehensive legal protection to prevent violence, protect victims, and end impunity for offenders. |
A HOSTILE SOCIO-POLITICAL LANDSCAPE FOR ORGANIZATIONS
Following Turkey’s withdrawal from the convention, the government has continued to pressure civil society organizations. Some women’s rights groups were even taken to court to stop them from working.
“Feminist organizations like CSMD have been the target of government-backed media for receiving foreign funds. An unprecedented number of women were arrested and faced police brutality. On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, November 25, at least 216 women were beaten and detained in Istanbul. During a protest in Kadıköy on November 27, 118 women were also beaten and arrested,” shares a CSMD member.
KEEPING UP THE SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE
Despite this detrimental background, CSMD remains resilient, continuing to provide support to victims of sexual violence. With rising case numbers, the organization has expanded its efforts into the digital space, offering an online platform to help victims find essential information and fight misinformation.
The website compiles resources that victims can use to report violence and provides guidance and tools to begin the healing process. The Feminists in Action project allowed the association to make its content accessible to people with disabilities, and to translate it into Arabic and Kurdish. “As part of our digital activism efforts, we made our content accessible to people with disabilities by adding subtitles to videos, sign language translation, descriptions, and easy-to-read materials for people with mental illnesses,” says a CSMD member.
Encouraging the work of grassroots organizations is particularly important when they fight, often against the tide, to help women affected by violence.
Click here to learn more about how the Feminists in Action program supports such efforts.