Who committed femicide?
It was not possible to determine who killed 1 out of 21 femicides in February, 8 of them were murdered by the man they were married, 5 of them were murdered by an acquaintance, 3 of them by their boyfriend, 3 of them by their son, 1 of them were murdered by father and 1 of them murdered by ex-boyfriend.
Women were mostly killed by firearms
10 women were killed by firearms, 9 by cutting tools, 2 by being battered, 1 by drowning.
Women were mostly killed in their homes
13 women were killed in their homes, 3 in middle of the street, 1 in the hotel, 1 in land, 1 in the middle of nowhere. Where 3 women were killed could not be determined.
Women's working status still cannot be determined
It is very hard to determine the working status of women. We think that this important data also should be taken into consideration by the press members. According to this month’ expounded data by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), in 2018, men over the age of 65 receive a pension that is greater than the women receive by the average of 29.7 in Turkey. Again, according to data released by TÜİK this month, the number of women "engaged in housework" has increased by 553 thousand compared to the previous year. Thus, according to TÜİK, the number of women who were not even considered labor force increased to 11 million 741 thousand in November 2019. TÜİK's explanation of the data in this way is to try to cover the true dimension of women's unemployment. We know that women who are not employed or dismissed from employment are become more vulnerable to the dangers of gender-based discrimination, violence and femicide in society. According to the available data, 4 of the women who were killed in February work in a workplace and 18 of them do not work.
Women are killed in different regions and provinces and women want cities where they are not murdered.
6284 and consequences
While it is not known whether 17 of the women killed in February have a protection order; 5 women do not have any removal or protection orders.
Regulating many measures such as distancing and close protection to those who commit violence; 6284, which has given many rights to change women from financial empowerment to identity, and which has come into force as a result of years of struggle of women's organizations, protects women if it is implemented effectively.
40-year-old Seda Kurt, who lives in Istanbul, was killed by her boyfriend Ercan A. in 2019 with a cutting tool in front of her two children. Ercan A., who was previously released under probation law and was registered for different crimes, was still not caught.
There has been no improvement regarding the 21-year-old Gülistan Doku, which has been missing since January 5th. In order to conduct an effective investigation, we continue to ask #GülistanDokuNerede (#WhereIsGulistanDoku).
The bone fragments buried in the ground in Karaman are thought to belong to Gülnaz Soydoğan, 28, who disappeared 11 years ago.
Meltem Ç., after a discussion, she was shot by her male partner with a firearm on her leg. The perpetrator waited until the ambulance arrived, then fled the scene.
S.B. who lives in İzmir, on the way to work, A.B., the man she left, shot her in the middle of the street with a firearm, A.B. escaped. S.B. struggling for life.
Because 6284 was not actively used, Dilek Y., 21, who lived in Gaziantep, was attacked with a firearm by Behzat Y., who had been subjected to violence for a while and wanted to leave him. Dilek, who remained in intensive care for 21 days, lost one eye because of the buckshot hitting her eye. However, if 6284 were implemented actively this month, women would be alive, and children would not be left without a mother. Seven of the women killed had children, 1 was pregnant.
What were the developments concerning women in February?
All Developments:
Developments in other countries:
NASA astronaut Christina Koch, with a service that lasted 328 days at International Space Station, has completed the longest spaceflight ever achieved by a woman.
Scottish parliament approved free sanitary products for all women, the first nation in the world to do so.
Two years ago, Saudi Arabia allowed women to enter the stadiums for the first time. Now it has been announced that a women's football league will be established in order to enable women to participate in sports.
A trans woman who went to Hajj was detained by the Saudi police under the pretext of "wearing women's clothes".
Roman Polanski, who abused a 13-year-old child, was protested by women after receiving an award at the Cesar Award Ceremony. Actress Adèle Haenel was protested the decision with slogans and left the hall where the ceremony was held.
According to a report, 3,960 women were killed by men in Mexico in the past 14 months. Therefore, Mexico has become the country with the highest female murder figures among Latin countries. Recently, in Mexico, 25-year-old Ingrid Escamilla was murdered by the man she was with named Eric Francisco Robledo. The murderer skinned and mutilated Ingrid's body in order to destroy the evidence. It turned out that the perpetrator's ex-wife also had filed a criminal complaint against him twice. After the news about the murder broke out, newspaper La Prensa presented the news with the headline “It was Cupid's fault” as if it was trying to legitimize women's murders which caused the Mexican women to march to the office of the newspaper and set the constitutional court on fire. The mother of Maria, who is another victim of femicide also expressed her and all women's outrage against femicide: “I am a mother whose daughter was killed. I have the right to burn and destroy everywhere."
Misogynist rhetoric and practices continuing:
Yıldız Technical University professor Bedri Gencer claimed that the earthquake in Elazığ happened because of the prohibition of child marriage: “Let's not offend Allah by considering the marriage at the age that God claimed halal rape by law and breaking up happy homes. It is near." Therefore, the university started an investigation about him. He still he continued giving lectures at the university which led to his classes being protested and abandoned by Yıldız Technical University students. As a result of the reactions, he has been suspended.
Tevfik Koçak, who is a delegate at the CHP Ankara Congress, met great reaction by the members of the congress after saying: “One should not get fooled by the way politics work and the coquetry of women”. Afterward, he apologized to the women.
It turned out that the Presidency of Religious Affairs has given unacceptable misogynist and sexist advice to women applying to family and religious guidance offices that were established concerning the so-called elimination of violence against women. According to the research conducted by journalist Burcu Karakaş, a woman who wanted to get a divorce due to violence received the following advice by a person in charge: "If it has become unbearable then you should try and overcome the problem by consulting with the family elders. When exposed to violence, instead of calling the police, ask the reason of it with the appropriate language. This is not a huge problem; you can solve it by talking." Another woman who asked: "What should I do when I am subjected to violence? got this answer: "Do not react if you get hit, just get away from there. Get back to your room. Try to cover up the incident and say: 'I'll do what you want," and then open the topic at the right time. Do not speak with an accusing tone. When asked at the end of the conversation, "Okay, should I call the police?" the person in charge at the phone said: "No, let's hope you solve it between you two. God bless you…”
According to the second judicial package study of the Ministry of Justice, the practice of "mediation" will also be applied in family disputes. Because mediation relieves the workload in the judiciary! According to the report released by TURKSTAT this month, the marriage rate has decreased in the last year, while the divorce rates have increased. Of the 474 women killed last year, 114 were killed while trying to make decisions about their own lives, such as divorce or separation. Mediation in family cases is an application that will weaken women against violence, there cannot be any compromise in cases of violence against women.
We would like to address all relevant institutions and organizations again and again. You have to effectively implement the protection law 6284 and the Istanbul Convention. With your misogynist and sexist advice, you leave women to a greater risk of violence. Every time you do not effectively enforce the law and the contract; we women are facing gender-based violence. When we were subjected to violence, we came back from the police stations we applied to because of the similar misogynist expressions. We have heard these statements from the murderers who tried to get remissions on women's murder cases. We are always fighting against your misogynist rhetoric and practices, and we will continue to do so. We do not want to die; we want to live! We do not allow you to take away our most primary right to live by your misogynist and sexist practices. We existed yesterday, we exist today, we will exist tomorrow. We will make you implement both 6284 and the Istanbul Convention. We will get together more, we will establish more solidarity networks, we will fight more. We have a promise to all the women that have been killed, we will stop the femicide!
Turkey Women Council has made decisions on basic resistance with women from different cities
Turkey Women Council took place in Istanbul at 9th of February. Women from Adana, Afyon, Ankara, Antalya, Artvin, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bolu, Bursa, Çorum, Denizli, Düzce, Edirne, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, İstanbul, İzmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kıbrıs, Kırklareli, Kocaeli, Konya, Kütahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mersin, Muğla, Nevşehir, Ordu, Sakarya, Samsun, Sivas, Tekirdağ, Trabzon and Yozgat got together for the meeting.
The decisions made by women attended the council are as the following;
- In order to stop femicide: we will make each article of The Istanbul Convention and the 6284 enter into force.
- No violence shall remain in dark. We will reveal the suspicious murders.
- We will gain justice for women and the whole society.
- We will gather our resistance with the resistance of women from all around the world like we did at the ‘Las Tesis’ protest.
- We will stop economic inequality against unemployment, lack of union and our labor’s been ignored.
- Young women will spread the resistance to sexism and inequality throughout campuses with the power of University Women Council.
- Women will rule the cities, country and the world.
- We will spread the resistance of the women who say, ‘You will never walk alone.’
The meeting which hope, and resistance got stronger, has expanded the resistance area by the suggestions and experiences of many women. The words of Melis, the daughter of Muhterem Evcil who was murdered, were applauded: ‘I give my word to all of the families of the women who were victims of femicide. I will never let any child to lose her childhood like i did mine.’ And as the women, who attended or not to the meeting, we promise to stop femicides and never let a woman walk alone.
We will be at the city squares all around the country at 8th of March with the same soul of resistance:
İstanbul, İzmir, Ankara, Afyon, Adana, Antalya, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bursa, Çorum, Denizli, Düzce, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Isparta, Kars, Kıbrıs, Kırklareli, Kütahya, Konya, Manisa, Mersin, Muğla, Nevşehir, Sakarya, Samsun, Sivas, Tekirdağ, Uşak and Yalova are ready for 8th of March. Different women are getting together from all different regions and squares of the country for their equality and right to life. We are waiting all women to the city squares for shouting ‘You will never walk alone’ with us.
Women keep resisting against Femicide:
Findings about Hatice Çetinbaş, who was found dead at her apartment last January, suggest that she was beaten before her death.
Sevil Arslan, who got lost a month ago in Sinop, found murdered and buried into ground.
Zeliha Armağan, lived in Şanlıurfa, was threw off a cliff by O.Ç. because she refused to marry him through an Islamic marriage and be a second wife. When O.Ç. realized Zeliha Armağan wasn’t dead, he smashed her head with a rock.
An anonymous woman found at Istanbul-Büyükçekmece coast. Assault marks were noticed on the body.
17 years old Şeyma Yıldız from Ankara, murdered by her father by the excuse of having a boyfriend and dumped on a side road.
Nurhan Erkan from Aydın, murdered at her apartment with a sharp weapon by her colleague Okan D. for refusing to lend money to him.
35-year-old, mother of 2 Manar Alahmed who was pregnant and lived in Izmir, murdered by her neighbors in front of her 5 years old son and 2-year-old daughter.
40-year-old Duriye Sağlam from Afyon, murdered by her male partner, the murderer tried to get rid of the body by setting her on fire and threw her on a side road.
Women are still facing sexual violence in workplaces:
Counsel Muhittin Köylüoğlu has got arrested for harassing an intern counselor. After the arrestment it turned out that Muhittin Köylüoğlu harassed many other women in the workplace.
Counselor B.Ö. was harassed by the clerk S.M.S. at the courthouse in Istanbul. The perpetrator claimed to be sorry at his first testimony then got arrested. He is now charged with 15 years in prison for violating privacy and sexual assault.
Tali Yüksel Yeşilot, from Antalya, charged with 56 years in prison for sexually assaulting E.O., H.Ş., F.U., and H.Z.G. while claiming to perform an exorcism.
23 years old N.P. from Gaziantep forced to get married with Mustafa P. at the age of 14. She decided to get a divorce once she realized her husband was sexually abusing her daughter. After coming home by claiming to see his children, Mustafa P. physically and sexually assaulted N.P. in front of their children. Despite the reports, the perpetrator got away with a restraining order and now the trail continues without an arrest.
3 sisters living in Mersin, ages between 28 and 34, placed charges on their father S.D. for sexual assault. The charges had dropped.
Child abuse continuing:
Children at a school in Istanbul- Esenyurt were molested by an officer. After the trial, the officer got arrested. It turned out that this wasn’t the first assault case in the school, Şevval Şirin,reporter from Kanal D, got arrested after trying to research on the subject.
R.U. who works in an illegal Quran course in Istanbul-Bagcilar, sexually assaulted by Lut Ö. from the same course.
11 years old B.D.K. living in Istanbul, harassed in a public transportation.
15-year-old high school student in Izmir sexually assaulted by a teacher.
11-year-old child was molested by a Quran course teacher and the manager tried to cover up the event by a ‘religious sacrifice’.
4 students from Samsun, sexually abused by A.G. The perpetrator got under arrest; the trial still continuing.
10-year-old child in Izmir, sexually abused by 50 years old Mehmet Genç, an owner of a local shop. The perpetrator got arrested.
Trials of February:
We were at many different courts in many different regions and cities during February to get justice for women. We will continue to be in the courtrooms and at the city square to gain justice, equality and protection for women.
We attended the trial of Ayşe Tuğba Arslan, who was murdered by the man she divorced and couldn’t get any protection by the law even though she reported the perpetrator to the police 23 times. The women wished to follow the trial, first faced with police barriers then the doors got locked by the orders of the prosecutor. The doors were open again after the protests The man who committed the murder, aligned a bunch of excuses as we are used to hearing at the femicide trials. The trial postponed to April 17.
The trial of Ceren Damar who was murdered by her student in Ankara took place. Vahit Bıçak, lawyer of the murderer, kept his efforts on distorting the case with his unrelated arguments. He even claimed that Ceren Damar defended the military coup of July 15. As the result of the trial, the murderer got sentenced for life. The lawyer Vahit Bıçak responded the criticisms from the society and kept his defense on legalizing femicide by saying ‘No one commits a murder for no reason, my conscience is absolutely clean.’ According to the Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu, the lawyer’s words caused a lot of strong negative reactions from the society so Vahit Bıçak got dismissed from Police Academy and Ankara Bar Association started an investigation on him.
In Isparta, the man Güleda Cankel wanted to break up tried to restrain her about meeting her friends and going to the university. Güleda didn’t stay silent. She got killed by the man she used to date and the trial took place this month. The prosecutor asked for a charge on a planned murder with no penalty discount. If 6284 and Istanbul Convention applied effectively, Güleda Cankel might still be alive today. We will continue out uprising for young women to live free and get education.
In Izmir, Habibe Çevik and her sister Fatma Akta was murdered by the man Habibe Çevik divorced. The prosecutor asked for a life sentence for the perpetrator twice on willingly and knowingly committing a murder.
The forensic report presented to the court at the trial of Öznur Sazlar who was injured by the man she wanted to divorce. Once the report proved that 2 of the 16 knife wounds were deadly, the trial aktarıldı from Criminal Court of First Instance to Heavy Penal Court.
The decision was made after the first session at the trial of Füsun Akırmak who was murdered by her male partner. The defendant got sentenced for life without any discount.
Zehra Demir from Antalya, ended her life by throwing herself off the window as a result of her former partner’s harassments, insults and poundings at the door, the defendant who stand trial for ‘causing death by driving to suicide’ got acquitted.
57 years old Ikram Doğan got killed with a meat cleaver by her husband Adil Doğan in 2018, and some of her body parts were cutted off. At the trial took place this month, the court board decided on an unjust provocation discount and sentenced Adil Doğan with only 24 years in prison. However, the female judge lodged a statement if opposition on the decision.
30 years old Sevde Gürler was murdered by her boyfriend Bahadır Gürler throwing her off the balcony, claiming that she had cheated on him. The court decided to realise Bahadır Gürler after his treatment is done with the excuse of him being mentally ill.
Despite that the former spouse Şükrü Şengül got sentenced for life after she murdered Döndü Şengül during their divorce period last year, the murderer got penalty discount.
The perpetrator who murdered 45 years old Zeynep Öztürk by choking her with chains during their period of divorce was facing life sentence. The Court Board charged the perpetrator Ercan Öztürk with only 20 years.