We Will Stop Femicides Platform April 2025 Report
29 Femicides and 14 Suspicious Deaths of Women in April
The fight to stop femicides in Turkey has been going on for 15 years. As the Platform, since we identified the need in 2010, we have been disclosing femicide data to the public. Instead of explaining how many women have been killed, why, how and by whom, the Ministry of Interior distorts the facts by saying that the data on femicides are incorrectly prepared. It is the duty of the state not only to disclose the reality of femicides and suspicious deaths of women but also to implement concrete solutions to stop femicides. We will continue to fight for the mobilization of all relevant ministries and mechanisms to fulfil this duty.
The reason behind 20 femicides could not be determined
This month, 29 femicides were committed, and 14 women were found suspiciously dead. 7 women were killed on the pretext of wanting to make decisions about their own life, such as wanting a divorce, refusing to reconcile, refusing to marry, or rejecting a relationship, 1 woman was killed on economic pretexts, and 1 woman was killed on the pretext of threating the police. The reason behind 20 of the 29 femicides could not be determined. The inability to determine the excuse behind the murder of 20 women is the result of violence against women and femicides being rendered invisible. Unless it is determined by whom and why women were killed, unless a fair trial is conducted and the suspects, defendants and murderers are given deterrent punishments and unless preventive measures are implemented, violence continues to increase in size.
We would like to share the names of the women, each of whom was a life:
Femicide data in the month of April, by city:
By whom were the women killed?
Of the 29 women killed in April, 17 were killed by the man they were married to, 2 by the man they were with, 2 by the man they used to be married to, 2 by the man they used to be with, 2 by their son, 2 by an acquaintance, 1 by her father and 1 by the man her daughter used to be with. This month, 59% of the women who were killed were killed by the man they were married to.
Women were mostly killed in their homes
15 of the women were killed at their homes, 8 in the middle of the street, 1 in a deserted place, 1 at her workplace, 1 on a waterfront and 1 in a car. It could not be determined where 2 women were killed. 52% of the women killed this month were killed in their homes.
Women were mostly killed with firearms
14 of the women killed this month were killed with firearms, 10 with sharp objects, 3 by strangulation, 1 by being burned to death and 1 by being beaten to death. The weapon which was used to kill 1 woman could not be determined. 48% of the women killed this month were killed with firearms.
WE WILL GIVE CHILDREN A FUTURE WITH OUR STRUGGLE
In Turkey, family policies are carried out with an understanding that defines women only in terms of fertility and sanctifies children while systematically abusing them.
Statements such as the Minister of Health's “If you don't have children, you are not a family” and Sivasspor’s “What is normal is normal (vaginal) birth” are becoming widespread. This is a manifestation of the ideological pressure on women’s bodies and life choices. These impositions threaten social equality by excluding women without children, LGBTIQ+ and single-parent families. In demonstrations we organized in Izmir, Istanbul, Ankara and Samsun under the slogan “We Protest Against the Abnormal Regulation”, we were in the streets to protest the regulation of the Ministry of Health aiming to ban planned cesarean births; we raised our voices against this abnormal regulation that restricts women’s birth choices.
The system that celebrates April 23rd as Children's Day, has no problem making them work as cheap labor in workshops, on the streets and in agricultural fields for the rest of the year. Child labor is still widespread in Turkey; children are forced to work in precarious, unhealthy and dangerous conditions, putting their lives at risk. In Niğde, 14-year-old Abdurrahman Özkul lost his arm to a machine at a recycling plant, in Konya, 14-year-old Yusuf Mısri died at a borehole and in Kayseri, 17-year-old Mehmet Özarslan died at a sand quarry, once again revealing the deadly extent of child labor.
The sexual abuse of a child in Başakşehir Çam and Sakura Hospital, and the 15-year-old child who had a miscarriage in Karaman reveal the children that the system cannot protect. Although children should be protected, these cases, which are hushed up, show how the culture of abuse has deepened.
As long as family policies that are population-oriented rather than rights-based continue, we will continue to face deepening violations of children's rights in Turkey instead of progress.
NEGLIGENCE KILLS, NOT EARTHQUAKES
In Turkey, the government's earthquake policy is based not on science but on profit, not on human safety but on the construction lobby. While emergency gathering areas are transformed into shopping malls and residences, the people's right to life is being negotiated.
In the February 6 earthquakes, while millions of citizens were under the rubble, even the most basic right to communication could not be provided; operators collapsed, there was no coordination. In Samandağ, while people are still struggling for shelter and basic needs after the earthquake, their land is being confiscated.
In the recent earthquake in Marmara, we saw that communication operators have not made any progress and have once again completely collapsed. It is unforgivable that the most basic communication infrastructure is still not working in such a critical geography. While the Marmara earthquake is anticipated, no holistic, public, people-centered preparation has been made for years.
The urban transformation required for earthquake-resistant cities has been sacrificed to profit-oriented urban transformation. Despite all this, Canal Istanbul is still imposed as a “mega project”; yet there is no planning against mega risks. Earthquakes are not just a natural phenomenon, but a clear consequence of social injustice and political irresponsibility. The right to life can be protected not by luxury housing, but by sound, just and public urban planning. No city is truly safe until this unscientific, detached from the people and profit-oriented system is changed.
WE LIVE THE WAY WE WANT, YOU CAN'T INTERFERE!
HÜDA PAR’s law proposal under the name of “indecent behavior” and “exhibitionism” is an attempt to increase control over our bodies and lives. With such vague and arbitrary expressions, the cohabitation of unmarried individuals, clothing, gender identity or sexual orientation are sought to be criminalized. This approach means a return to the discriminatory legacy of the old Turkish Penal Code No. 765, i.e. the morality police of the pre-CEDAW era. Reviving outdated morality laws that were abolished through the feminist struggle is a direct intervention to constitutional equality and private life.
The lifestyle of women, LGBTIQ+ individuals and unmarried couples is not something to be questioned; what should be questioned is the government’s attempt to exert pressure on these lives. These legislative proposals are aimed at uniformizing social norms with religious references and erasing women and others from the public sphere. The desire to shape society with vague concepts such as honor, chastity and morality is authoritarianism in disguise. A woman's body, clothing, love or home is not, and will never be an area of political control.
As the We Will Stop Femicides Platform, we know that this struggle is not only a struggle to defend our lifestyles, but also our freedom.
LONG LIVE FIRST OF MAY, LONG LIVE WOMEN!
Saying, ‘Equality at home, at work, at wages; democracy for all', we were in the squares on May 1st as the We Will Stop Femicides Platform. Our struggle continues not only on the streets, but also at home, on campuses, workplaces, courthouses, everywhere.
We were present at the Istanbul Film Festival with our documentary 'Gönüllü'; we brought our voice to the screen.
We are coming together with women, discussing the political agenda together, and taking our decisions in solidarity. Because we know: we won't leave the right to decide about our own lives to anyone. Our words against bosses, prohibitionists and reactionists are clear: Our labor, our bodies, our lives are ours.
We won’t let those who want to interfere in our lives and freedoms. We are getting stronger not with oppression, but with art, solidarity and our organized struggle. This is just the beginning... We multiply every day, we fight back everywhere. We stand for life, for rebellion, for freedom, for women!
INJUSTICE AND LAWLESSNESS CONTINUE
April 2025 marked a period of politicized law, suppression of local democracy and intimidation of opposition in Turkey. Many citizens who took to the streets, spoke out and showed solidarity against this injustice were detained and some were arrested. During this period, approximately 1,900 people were detained in demonstrations organized all over Turkey. Journalists were among those arrested as well. Today, there are still people under arrest and this situation has turned into a practice of not only political but also social punishment.
It is no coincidence that the male-dominated government targets figures who represent fundamental values such as the right to the city, secularism and freedom. This process is part of a multi-layered oppression mechanism that seeks to silence the voices of women, LGBTIQ+ and all opposition. As women, we know that the equality policies established by local governments are being threatened with the stick of the judiciary: This is not only a political showdown, but also a intervention on different ways of life.
Case Developments of April
The court sentenced Ahmet Fırat, who stabbed Nuran Fırat in the throat in Izmir in 2022, to aggravated life imprisonment without any reduction.
The file of Gülistan Doku, who disappeared five years ago in Tunceli, was reopened.
Bahcelievler Municipality Mayor Hakan Bahadır, who insulted CHP Council Member Bahar Günçiçek, was given a one-month injunction under the “Law on the Prevention of Violence against Women”.
Çetin Aktay, who attacked security guard Gülhan Karaderili at Marmaray station in Kadıköy, causing her to be seriously injured, was sentenced to 18 years and 6 months in prison for ‘attempted murder against a woman’. Aktay was also sentenced to 2 years and 6 months for stalking.
What happened regarding women in April?