In 2025, at least 294 women were killed by men, and 297 women were found suspiciously dead.

2025 Annual Report*

As We Will Stop Femicides Platform, we have been recoding data on femicide since 2010.

 

Is it the Year of the Family, or the Year Women and Children Were Ignored?

2025 was declared the ‘Year of the Family’. Throughout the year, the political establishment's family-focused policies took center stage. The discourse on ‘the family’ was presented as a value that strengthens society, but in practice, it turned into a framework that restricted the lives of women and children.

The core line of this policy was clear: women should withdraw from the public sphere and be confined to the private one and womanhood should be reduced to the role of motherhood. Women’s participation in the workforce was redefined not as a right, but in ‘appropriate’ forms. Through practices such as part-time work, women’s lives tried to be confined to the home; their economic independence tried to be undermined. While the removal of women from the public sphere was marketed as a ‘favor’, inequality deepened. Moreover, in 2025, women were most often killed in their own homes: 61% of women were murdered in their homes. The place described to women as 'home’ continued to be the place where women were killed. Policies that confined women to the private sphere either ignored domestic violence or attempted to push it out of the politics by labeling it as ‘private’.

In the ‘Year of the Family’,  women continued to be killed. In 2025, at least 203 women were killed by male family members. Those who sanctify the family made the violence women faced within the family invisible. The discourse established in the name of ‘the family’ often silenced women’s experiences and pushed perpetrator’s responsibility into the background.

Children’s lives were also devalued under the shadow of the same discourse. In 2025, at least 25 girls were killed. Those who prioritize the family continued to ignore the deaths of children; when the real issue was protecting the image of ‘the family’, children’s right to life was sidelined.

This was not enough; the political establishment increased its heteronormative pressure. Concepts such as ‘gender’ and ‘sexual orientation’ were targeted, and official directives were sent to institutions to exclude these terms. The language of equality tried to be suppressed, discrimination was normalized, and the lives of women and LGBTIQ+ became even more restricted.

Control over women’s bodies also became part of this agenda. Even how women give birth was interfered with. Football players were made to promote ‘natural birth’; women’s personal decisions were turned into a political spectacle. The insistence on wanting to have a say over women’s bodies signal a politics of domination, not equality.

2025 was declared the 'Year of the Family’, but for women and children, this year went down in history as a year in which killings continued and neglect became institutionalized. Those who sanctified the family ignored the women being killed within the family and the deaths of children. We did not accept this.

The lives of women and children cannot be reduced to propaganda slogans, showpiece policies, or the label of ‘the family’. We reject this system that confines women to the private sphere; we continue to stand for equality, freedom, and life.

 

Impunity Policies, Chain of Negligence: Suspicious Deaths of Women are the Work of the Government

 

Suspicious deaths of women increased in 2025, even surpassing femicides. In a significant portion of these deaths, effective and independent investigations were not conducted. Women’s suspicious deaths were quickly dismissed as ‘suicide’ or ‘accident’; in most cases, obligations to collect evidence, resolve inconsistencies, and identify those responsible were not properly fulfilled.

The political authorities stated, “There have been no unsolved murders during our term”. However, 297 suspicious deaths of women occurred this year alone. Over the past five years, at least 1,267 suspicious deaths of women have been recorded, and most of them remain unresolved. As the cases in our data that remained ‘suspicious’ for years were later revealed to be femicides, we saw once again the vital importance effective investigation. This year, only 12 suspicious deaths from previous years were resolved. Those responsible for investigating suspicious deaths spent their energy on other agendas instead of investigating these deaths: they were bust arresting young people in Saraçhane and going after those who spoke out for democracy and secularism. Yet the same public resources could have been used to uncover the truth rather than cover up suspicious deaths; protection orders could have been enforced rather than being left on paper.

In 2025, at least 23 women were killed despite having protection orders. Those responsible for enforcing protection orders were not held effectively accountable. Furthermore, 17 women were killed by law enforcement officers this year; those whose duty it was to protect women's right to life became the perpetrators of the murders themselves.

Under the new penal enforcement regulation, a large number of convicts were released from prisons. One of those released killed Rojda Yakışıklı shortly after his release. This picture is the result of an approach that fosters impunity and lawlessness. According to our data, this year 39 perpetrators of femicide already had criminal records; despite this, they continued to be released and violence was reproduced.

Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court concluded that the investigation into the death of 11-year-old Rabia Naz Vatan was “carried out negligently”. Rabia Naz’s death remains suspicious; just like Rabia Naz, the deaths of many women and children have been left suspicious due to negligent investigations. When effective investigations are not conducted, the truth does not come to light; justice is not served.

We demanded that every suspicious deaths of women be effectively investigated, protection orders be fully enforced, and a genuine accountability mechanism be implemented for all public officials with duties and authority. We continued to object to the closure of suspicious death cases as ‘accidents’ or ‘suicides’, and to perpetrators exploiting legal loopholes and penal enforcement regulations to commit further violence.

This year, the government amplified the situation marked by increased attacks on elected representatives and political repression. It narrowed the space for democracy, suppressed freedoms, and arrested those seeking justice. As seen in Saraçhane, many young people who spoke out for their rights and freedoms were detained and arrested. But while it was arresting young people, it released perpetrators through a penal enforcement regulation. This increasingly harsh approach towards social opposition, coupled with the doors opened to perpetrators of violence, further deepened impunity.

As the We Will Stop Femicides Platform, we never gave up our fight despite this. We continued to stand side by side in the squares, in the corridors of the courthouses, in the courtrooms, on campuses, in the streets, and in the midst of life itself. We did not abandon the cases that were sought to be closed, we did not allow suspicious deaths to be covered up, we did not allow women's right to life to be made a bargaining chip. We strengthened our solidarity; we responded to every new attack by saying “We are here” in an even louder voice. Because we know: This system will change; women will survive.

 

DATA HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2025

In 2025, 69 women were killed on the pretext of wanting to make decisions about their life.

In 2025,294 femicides were committed, and 297 women were found suspiciously dead. Out of 294 women, 69 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, 29 women were killed on economic pretexts, 1 woman on the pretext of hate and 16 women under other pretexts. The reason behind 179 femicides could not be determined.

 

Women were most often killed by men within their families.

Of the 294 women killed in 2025, 104 were killed by the man they were married to, 32 by the man they used to be married to, 28 by a relative, 28 by the man they were with, 25 by an acquaintance, 24 by the man they used to be with, 18 by their son, 14 by their father, 7 by their brother, 1 by her employer, 3 by a stranger, and 2 by others. The relation of the perpetrator could not be determined for 8 women. This year 203 women were killed by a male family member.

 

Women were most often killed in their homes.

108 of the women were killed at their homes, 50 in the middle of the street, 15 at their workplace, 11 in a public space, 7 in a car, 5 in a deserted place, 3 on a waterfront, 2 in a field, 1 in an hotel and 3 in other places. It could not be determined where 17 women were killed. 61% of the women killed this year were killed in their homes.

 

Women were mostly killed with firearms

222 of the women killed this year were killed with firearms, 113 with sharp objects, 33 by strangulation, 14 by being beaten to death, 3 by being burned to death, 1 by being pushed from a height and 1 with another weapon. It couldn’t be determined how 7 women were killed.

57% of the women killed this month were killed with firearms.

 

The rate of femicides committed with firearms has shown a steady and uninterrupted increase over the past five years: In 2021, 48% of femicides were committed with firearms, while this rate rose to 54% in 2022, 55% in 2023, 56% in 2024, and 57% in 2025. This means that today, not just one in two femicides, but the majority are committed with firearms.

This increase clearly demonstrates that individual armament is not being controlled and that it paves the way for violence. Even though the government claims that “there is no individual armament”, we live in a country where perpetrators of femicide can easily obtain weapons online. The data tells us that as access to weapons becomes easier, death becomes more closer to women. The fact that even a 20-year-old can pick up a gun and go kill someone today shows that these are not an individual exceptions but a structural problem.

We conceptualize femicide as the killing or forcing into suicide of women and girls across the life course, from embryo to fetus, infant to child, adult to elderly, by a man, under the pretext of their gender or their actions deemed contrary to perceptions of gender identity. 79 of the women killed this year were young women aged 25-35.

 

In 2025, a total of 23 women had protection orders at the time of their death. These protection orders, which are issued by the state and must be implemented, are a lifeline for women. However, 23 women were killed because their protection orders were not implemented.

The cautionary decision status of 258 murdered women cannot be determined. There is a problem in women's accessibility to institutions where they can obtain a cautionary decision.

 

Information on women's employment status is unavailable. We believe that this important data should be taken into consideration by the members of the press.

According to the data available this year, of the women killed, 43 of the women were employed, and 13 were unemployed.

 

 

According to the data we were able to access, 143 of the 294 women killed this year had children and 5 of them were pregnant. It could not be determined whether 121 women had children or not.

 

According to the available data, 130 of the women killed this year were married and 64 were single. The marital status of 100 women could not be determined.

 

Our Struggle Continues in Squares, in the Courts, Everywhere

As We will Stop Femicides Platform, we held workshops in various fields such as Feminism, Creative Writing and Film. We also continued to come together through solidarity concerts and performances.

 

Our platform's documentary ‘Gönüllü’ (Volunteer), which highlights the struggle for women's rights and features the families of murdered women we have walked alongside, was screened at the Istanbul Film Festival.

 

In 2025, we continued our demonstrations on 8^th of March, 1^st of May, 25^th of November, and throughout the year for every woman who needed our organized struggle.

 

Notable Court Decisions in 2025

The case file concerning Gülistan Doku, who has been missing for nearly six years, has been reopened by Chief Prosecutor Ebru Cansu, who was assigned to Tunceli. City Security Management Systems (KGYS) recordings from the days leading up to and including the day of Gülistan's disappearance will be examined.

 

In the case of Yeşim Akbaş, who was found suspiciously dead two years ago with a gunshot wound to the head, the defendant Doğan Can Y. was acquitted. The Chief Prosecutor's Office appealed this decision to the Supreme Court, requesting that the acquittal be overturned. At the same time, newly emerged footage revealed that two police officers had moved the location of the gun and destroyed important evidence by giving the defendant cologne.

 

The Constitutional Court ruled that the investigation into the suspicious death of Rabia Naz Vatan in 2018 violated her right to life on the grounds that it was “carried out negligently”.

 

In the case of Aslı Baş, who was murdered 15 years ago in Muğla, the court ruling against Ahmet Derya Bayer and his sons Hakan Sadi and Volkan Bayer was overturned by the Supreme Court. The defendants will be retried in the High Criminal Court.

 

In the case of Bahar Aksu, who was shot in the head and killed in the street in İstanbul by Rüstem Elibol, the man she was used to be married to, the defendant and his friends Semih Y., Samet S., and Aziz B. were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment.

 

In the case of Sudenaz U., a transgender woman murdered in Diyarbakır in 2024 by A. A. and İ. U., the defendants were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of ‘intentional killing of a woman’.

 

In the month of December, 28 femicides and 28 suspicious deaths of women were recorded

We would like to share the names of the women, each of whom was a life:

 

What happened regarding women in December?

It has been revealed that vocational high school students doing internships at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) cafeteria have been subjected to sexual abuse by TBMM staff for years. Although it was stated that the perpetrators were a group of 10 people, only one person was suspended from duty in the investigation conducted by the TBMM General Secretariat.

 

Sixteen people were arrested during protests held for children who were employed under harsh conditions and in unsafe jobs, and died as a result of workplace accidents at Vocational Training Centers. According to a report by the Workers' Health and Safety Council, at least 13 children lost their lives in workplace accidents last month.

 

The stories of the life struggles of the 28 women killed in December

In Istanbul, in 2006, 23-year-old Hacer Enginay was stabbed 57 times at her workplace and then burned. The investigation was reopened 19 years later, and Rüstem Ş., Mohsen F., and Cavit G. were arrested.

 

In Gaziantep, 32-year-old Şerife Gelmeli, mother of two, was stabbed to death in front of her children by Halil Caymaz, the man she used to be married to. It was learned that Şerife had a restraining order against the perpetrator.

 

In Mersin, 50-year-old Remziye Kaya was shot dead with a firearm by her neighbor Mustafa T.

 

In Denizli, 15-year-old Zahra Jahani was shot in the head with a shotgun by Burak K. The perpetrator was taken into custody after fleeing.

 

In Kırıkkale, Nilgün Geçer and Eser Ereli were shot dead with a firearm by Yaşar Ereli. It was learned that the perpetrator attacked the women during an argument that broke out between the parties meeting at the law office regarding the divorce proceedings of his son and Eser Ereli.

 

In Hatay, 61-year-old Meliha S. was killed by being struck in the head with an axe by Bekir S., the man she was married to. It was learned that the perpetrator buried Meliha’s body in a pit he dug in the bathroom.

 

In Samsun, 21-year-old Merve Şen was shot in the head with a firearm in a car in the forest by Sezer Alnıaçık, the man she used to be married to. After the incident, the perpetrator committed suicide with the same weapon.

 

In Çanakkale, 61-year-old F. Y. G. was stabbed to death by her son Ö. Y.

 

In Kayseri, Melek Gül was stabbed to death by İlhan Ş. It was revealed that the perpetrator, who was in the process of divorce with Y. Ş., came to the apartment building where she lived to kill her, but after failing to find her, he killed Melek, whom he unencountered in the building.

 

In Gaziantep, Ayşe Kaplan, mother of four, was shot with a shotgun by Osman Kaplan, the man she was married to.

 

In Ankara, 30-year-old Gülhan Taş was stabbed to death by M. S., the man she used to be with. It was learned that Gülhan had previously obtained four restraining orders against the perpetrator and had filed a lawsuit against him for the crimes of ‘stalking’ and ‘threats’.

 

In Istanbul, 32-year-old Hilal Aktepe, mother of four, was stabbed to death by N. S. D., the man she used to be married to. It was revealed that the perpetrator had five previous criminal records and that Hilal had previously obtained a restraining order against him. The perpetrator was arrested.

 

In Kahramanmaraş, 22-year-old Sultan Değirmenci was shot dead with a firearm by İ. K. T., the man she used to be with. The perpetrator was caught and taken into custody.

 

In Bursa, 28-year-old accountant Kübra Aybey was strangled to death by her father Nazmi Aybey. The perpetrator committed suicide after the incident.

 

In Ankara, 19-year-old Sevgi Özdemir, mother of two, was stabbed to death by Yasin Özdemir, the man she was married to. The perpetrator was arrested.

 

In Siirt, 39-year-old Gülhan Börülce, mother of two, was stabbed to death by her neighbour Şükrü Kaya. The perpetrator, who stole Gülhan's gold, was caught and arrested.

 

In Adıyaman, 45-year-old Emine Aluç was stabbed to death on the street by Mehmet Aluç, the man she was married to. The perpetrator was arrested.

 

In Manisa, 73-year-old Nazen Gümüş died in hospital after being stabbed by her grandson B. K. G.

 

In Zonguldak, 45-year-old Tülay Ündeş and her mother 64-year-old Zaide Alkaç were shot with a shotgun on the street by Yusuf Ündeş, the man Tülay was in the process of divorce. It was learned that Tülay had obtained a restraining order against the perpetrator, but it expired in June.

 

In Adana, 13-year-old Derin Kiracı was killed together with her brother Doruk by her father İbrahim Kiracı. After the incident, the perpetrator committed suicide with the same weapon.

 

In Diyarbakır, 18-year-old Sümeyye Durgun was found dead, with her body in a garbage bag in an empty apartment. It was revealed that Siraç Kartal, the building's doorman, had killed Sümeyye.

 

In Şanlıurfa, 65-year-old İmhan Sağır was shot dead with a firearm by Ramazan Sağır, the man she was married to. The perpetrator also killed their son.

 

In Karaman, 22-year-old Fatma Çetinkaya, mother of two, was strangled to death by Mithat Çetinkaya, the man she was in the process of divorce. It was learned that the perpetrator tricked Fatma by saying, “We will consult a lawyer to get a divorce by mutual consent”.

 

In Diyarbakır, 28-year-old Rojda Yakışıklı, mother of three, was strangled to death by Oktay Gür, the man she used to be with. It was learned that the perpetrator committed the murder three days after being released from prison under the new penal enforcement regulation.

 

In Manisa, 40-year-old Kadriye Köken, mother of three, was shot in the head with a shotgun by Süreyya Köken, the man she was in the process of divorce. It was learned that Kadriye had recently obtained a restraining order against the perpetrator.

 

In Manisa, 43-year-old Rukiye Yanar was shot dead with a firearm in a car by Adem Yanar, the man she was married to. The perpetrator was caught in Ağrı while attempting to flee to Iran.

 

 

 

*Our Report: Every month, the news on violence against women in the press includes cases, new incidents and details about the women's movement. We compile the news reflected in the press and the applications that come directly to us, reach a number and prepare our report within this framework. We analyze, compile and evaluate our Femicide Report according to the concept of femicide, which we conceptualize as “the killing or forcing into suicide of women and girls across the life course, from embryo to fetus, infant to child, adult to elderly, by a man, under the pretext of their gender or their actions deemed contrary to perceptions of gender identity. Femicide should not be understood merely as a murder of women; rather, in these hatred-driven acts, what is targeted is the female identity itself.”