2019 June Report*

40 Femicides in June

While 8 of the female murders committed this month were recorded as suspicious deaths, 21 women could not be identified as to why they were killed, 2 of them were killed on economic pretext, 9 wanted to get a divorce, refused a request for reconciliation and refused friendship. Unless it is determined who killed the women and why; violence continues to change in size unless fair trial is conducted and suspects, accused and killers receive dissuasive penalties and preventive measures are not implemented.

Femicide records based on cities:

We would like to share with you the names of our sisters, each of whom was a life.:

Who killed the women?

Women were killed by closest relatives

In its most recent World Women's Progress report, the United Nations Women's Unit announced that their home is the most dangerous place for women. In addition, this report, shows that nearly 60 percent of the murderers in 2017, is one of the family members. In Turkey, according to the data we had reached 100 women were killed by family members in the first 6 months of 2019. It has not been established who killed the 63 of 214 women who were killed in the first 6 months.

14 perpetrators of the 40 femicides in June could not be found. 12 of them were husbands, 3 of them were formerly married, 2 of them were formerly together, 2 of them were neighbors, 1 of them were together, 1 of them was son, 1 was brother-in-law, 1 was brother, 1 was killed by ex-son-in-law, 1 by father and 1 by groom's family.

Women were mostly killed with firearms

20 of them were killed by firearms, 10 with cutting tools, 1 by drowning and 1 by beating. And unfortunately, it has not been determined how 8 were killed.

Women were mostly killed in their homes

25 of the women were killed in their homes, 3 in the road, 1 in the park, 1 in the plot, 1 in an empty land and 4 in the middle of the street. 2 of the killed women were found in the lake, 1 in the field and 1 in the creek. It has not been determined where 1 woman was killed.

The working status of women is still undetermined

It is very difficult to determine the working status of women. We think that this important data should be taken into consideration by the press. According to the available data, 6 of the women work in a workplace, 2 of them do not work and the working status of 32 women is unknown.

Women are killed in different regions and provinces and women want cities where they are not killed.

6284 and results

While it is not known whether 26 of the women killed in June have a protection order; 14 women do not have any exclusion or protection.

It regulates many measures such as removal and close protection to the perpetrators of violence; 6284 protects women if they are implemented effectively, which entitles women to financially empowerment and to change their identity and which has come into force as a result of years of struggle by women's organizations.

Because of the law of 6284 were not being used effectively, Yasemin C. who has decision of suspension in Istanbul, was seriously injured by being shot in the middle of the street by a man, Hasan Engin C., whom she was married to and wanted to divorce. The attacker who said, “I won’t leave my work undone”, got caught trying to enter Yasemin C.’s hospital room with a gun. Now, Yasemin is fighting for her life, however if 6284 was applied effectively during this month, women would be alive, and children wouldn’t have been left without a mother. 13 of the murdered women had children, one of them was pregnant.

What Happened to Women in June?

All developments:

Women Enacted the Prosecutor in Çorum

In Çorum, 4 people who abused Y.B.B. who was kidnapped from the playground weren’t even interrogated. After the action of the Çorum Women’s Assembly which called the authorities on duty and demanded the arrest of the suspects on the basis of the child’s best interests, prosecutor’s office had to make an explanation that the statements were taken, but these statements were not included in the file. Women’s Assembly will follow this case and won’t let molesters get acquitted.

Over 10.000 signatures in short time for alimony

100 women from different areas put forth a declaration so that the right of alimony isn’t restricted, changed or be taken back. The campaign which got over 10.000 signatures in a short amount of time underlines that women’s earned rights - especially divorce and heritage right - are endangered and calls all women to battle.

Women’s Unemployment is on the rise

As women’s alimony rights are being attacked, women’s unemployment rates rise every month. In March 2019, women’s unemployment rose from 12,9% to 16,2%, young women’s unemployment rose from 22,7% to 28,4%. Policies must be established for women’s liberation from violence and their integration to the professional life.

Developments in other countries:

In Japan, women started the KuToo (Shoe Agony) movement against the obligation to wear heels at work.

In Switzerland, women who made the decision to strike first time after 28 years gathered in the streets in 200 different points of the country for “A good salary, respect and time for living.”

England forbade the usage of sexist language in advertisements.

Misogynistic discourses and applications still run on:

- Minister of Internal Affairs Suleyman Soylu declared women special ops will be recruited and 

said a new practice could be implemented where women would be recruited with a lower KPSS point.

- Singer Fedon showed clear intention to legitimize misogyny and femicide by saying “I hit women so many times; now there’s no violence, but there are such women that deserve being cut up.”

- President Erdoğan said in a wedding he attended, “They said birth control, they tried to cause our extinction.”  Birth control is one of women’s basic rights. Trying to restrict that is an attempt to restrict a woman’s autonomy over her own body.

- According to the report of “Violence Report Card of TV Series” published by CHP Ankara Representative Gamze Taşçıer, in 8 randomly selected tv series episodes there are 23 scenes portraying violence against women. Abuse cannot be normalized through TV shows.

- Media continues to use expressions that legitimize women's murders. TV100 reported the news of women's murder under the title of “he buried his love in the ground, not his heart.” Women's Councils met with TV100 and announced that they would follow the issue in changing the title. 

- In Aydın, 2 years ago, 3 women threw slippers at the person who harassed them. The harassment investigation was not opened, and the abuser was not fined. But the woman who was harassed and had to defend herself was sued.

- While the debate on the right to alimony continues, the Istanbul Regional Courthouse Court 11th Legal Department ruled, in a divorce case “indefinite alimony will not be given.” The Court of Appeal cited the parties' ages and the short marriage period.

- The proposal submitted to parliament for Rabia Naz, in which we struggled to clarify her death, was rejected by AKP and MHP votes. 

- An instructor of Ankara University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine who assaulted sexually his employee, Prof. Dr. Hasan Bilgili was released. The claims of Bilgili's retirement was accepted became a current issue.

- Davut Gençalp, attacked his wife B.K. who wanted to divorce, with a screwdriver and tried to strangle. The case was filed for intentional injury and insult, and the defendant was sentenced to two years in prison. However, as a result of our objections, the Court of Appeal ruled that the action was not an injury but an attempt to kill her. 

- In Ardahan, the 56-year-old G.Ç., complained that she was subjected to violence by the man she was married to. The court ordered the violent man to read "The School of Marriage" and "The Psychology of Marriage in the Qur'an" books.

- In the case of Şule Çet, the defendants were not brought to exploration on the grounds of “security” and detailed examination was not accepted again.

- Kadriye Çavuş, who was subjected to violence by the man she married, wanted to get a divorce and tried to go to the shelter, was tried to be abducted from the bus, by family members. People who tried to kidnap were caught. The man Kadriye wanted to divorce said, "Isn't my wife, I will."

- President Erdoğan, who went to Japan for the G-20 Summit, said in his speech at a university that “the solution of women's problems has always been among my priorities.” In 2018 440, in the first 6 months of 2019 214, only in June 40 women were killed in Turkey. While misogynistic rhetoric and practices, female murders, violence against women continue, perpetrators are still subject to good health reductions. In addition, after the recent uncertainty statement made by YÖK on gender issues, the Gender and Women's Studies units in universities started to be closed down.

- In many provinces, 27. LGBTI+ Honor Week events were banned. The governor did not approve the march in Istanbul, but LGBTI+’s who said #HerYürüyüşümüzOnurYürüyüşü (#OurEveryMarchIsHonorMarch) made their statements despite all obstacles.

Women continue to fight against female murders

- In Çorum, 20-year-old Gökçe Şişman, wants to divorce Selim Ş., was killed by a firearm in the middle of the street. Gökçe had just left the shelter. 

- In Izmir, G.S. who is on leave from prison, killed his ex-wife Habibe Çevik and former sister-in-law Fatma Akdağ.

- In Adana, Basıl D. killed his 16-year-old brother Bağdat D. with a cutting tool while he was alone on the pretext of honor.

- A Tajikistani 34-year-old woman Firuza Ahmedova, was found dead in a house in Istabul, legs tied up and head put in a plastic bag.

- A father killed her own daughter, Gülnur Yozgatlı, because she didn’t say where her mother was. Practicing physician 28-year-old Gülnur Yozgatlı who was living in Balıkesir was shot in the head by her father, Gülnur didn’t say the location of her mother on the divorce process and killed while she was trying to save her mother.

- Spanish young women, aged 22, A.G.R. who was studying in Ankara was sexually assaulted by Engin Ö.. The prosecutor, who needs to ensure justice, put forward the attitude of protecting the perpetrators and the misogyny by saying "Everything happens to those who go to the bar and drink at that hour."

- Mufti İsmail Kaya, in Diyarbakır, sexually assaulted H.Y.. A deputy from AKP (ruling party) and officials from Religious Affairs threatened H.Y. to withdraw her appeal. The offender was released by judicial control.

-  A mentally disabled woman in İstanbul was attempted to be assaulted in front of locals by a shopkeeper. Women who witnessed the violence in the storehouse didn’t stay silent and charged against the abuser.

- In Konya, 20-year-old university student K.Y. who entering the mosque to make prayer, forcibly kissed and hugged by 62-year-old retired Mazhar O. said that “I obeyed Satan” in his police statement, was arrested.

- A woman who was hospital attendant in Zonguldak was assaulted sexually. Suspect was detained.

Child abuse continues

 - The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that the number of boys and girls married early ages in the world is close to 765 million.

- According to the report prepared by Director of Acıbadem Crime and Violence Research Centre Prof. Dr. Oğuz Polat, child sexual abuse crimes have increased 10 times in the last 13 years. According to the report, in 2006, there were 2.337 verdicts on sexual abuse of children, and this number has now exceeded 21.518.

- CHP Deputy of Hatay, Lawyer Suzan Şahin stated that in the last 6 years, 142.298 girls gave birth.

- A 4-year-old child was kidnapped while playing in the park in Çorum. Indicated that 4 people living in the same neighborhood abused the child. Family also made a complaint about the perpetrators, but the perpetrator was not even interrogated by the prosecutor.

- In Oğuzeli, Gaziantep, E.K. Attendant of Lore foundation (İlim Vakfı), abused a child sexually. He said “I did it for the first time” in the court. It reminded people, the words of Ramazanoğlu “nothing happens with a one-time thing”, former minister, about sexual abuse of the children in Ensar Foundation.

- A child, aged 12, was abused sexually by the bus assistant, in an intercity bus in Amasya.

Cases in June

- Supreme Court took a prejudication concerning working parents; if the employer did not fulfill the obligation to open a nursery was judged as a reason for rightful termination. Female employees who resigned for lack of nursery in the workplace can receive severance and notice compensation.

- The verdict of non-prosecution in the investigation of the suspicious death of Alara Karademir, was removed on the grounds of incomplete investigation. Women’s Assemblies had made action on social media with the tag of #WeDoNotStayQuietForAlara (#AlaraİçinSessizKalmıyoruz) to expose the death of Alara.

- A case was filed against aggravated life imprisonment demand for 7 people, in connection with the murder of 4-year-old Leyla Aydemir, who was missing in Ağrı and whose body was found in a field.

- In the case of the book called Zümrüt Apartmanı, which erotizes and legitimizes child abuse, the author is asked to be imprisoned for 5 to 10 years and for the publisher for 6 to 10 years.

- Being abused by his father, M.U.’s case was held in Yalova. The perpetrator who implemented violence to the women he was married and abused his children was sentenced to 27 years and 3 months.

- In the case of sexually assaulted S.A., the assailant was sentenced to 21 years in prison for “attempted sexual assault.”

-  The case of Merve Tula, who was subjected to violence and sexual assault by the man she was married to, was postponed to 23 September. The perpetrator had previously committed the same crimes against another woman.

- In the case of Şeyda Ayyıldız, who was killed by the man she married, the perpetrator confessed to the crime. The case was postponed to 16 October, 10:15.

- In the case of Safiye Karakoç, who was killed by a relative with a gun, the judge did not listen to the witness who tried to connect the case to honor. Judge refused the release of the perpetrator and refused to drop the decision to arrest 3 defendants. The case was postponed to 10 November, 14:20.

- In Bahriye Üngeç’s final hearing, whom was killed by the man she lived with in İzmir, the perpetrator was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment by applying a discount to the life imprisonment judgement.

- Mesut Turan, who sexually abused a 5-year-old girl in Trabzon, was first being released, after as a result of the struggle of women who objected to injustice, was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

- The results of the cases do not cover all of the women’s cases in that month, as much as the information we can follow and obtain through the public. 

*Our report: The news of violence against women, which is reflected in the press every month, includes cases, new events, and details of the women’s movement. While news of women's murder were directly reflected to the public, regardless of the complaint; because of the emergence of news about sexual violence and child abuse, covering these crimes and investigations and litigation processes are continuing, it is difficult to determine the net number. Therefore, we would like to point out that the data on child abuse and sexual violence are much more than the news that reflected in media and the announced data of ours. Within the scope of the Istanbul Convention, the relevant authorities of the state should specify and determine the methods of combating violence accordingly; aforementioned authorities do not do them regularly. We reach a number by collecting the applications that are coming directly to us and cases that are reflected in the press and then we prepare our report within this framework. We take our Women's Murder report according to the concept of Femicide. So according to the concept of Femicide; “all female gender individuals, from the embryo to the fetus, from the baby to the child, from the adult to the elderly, are killed or forced to commit suicide by a man solely on the basis of their sex or on the basis of acts contrary to the perception of gender identity. Femicides should not be perceived as murders in which only female sex people are killed. In these murders committed with hate, what is being attacked is the female identity.”