26 Women Killed by Men in July

According to data from local and national newspapers and news agencies compiled by bianet, 26 women were killed by males in Turkey in the month of July 2011. Three of the culprits committed suicide and one died as the result of an injury obtained during the killing of a woman. Thus, male perpetrators killed a total of 155 women during the first seven months of 2011 in Turkey and a total of 54 women were raped.

In July, 21 women were raped and nine women experienced sexual harassment and violence. Men wounded 32 women, three women were taken hostage and one woman was abducted. Three children were exposed to sexual abuse.

The majority of violence and murder cases happened in the Mediterranean (south) and in the Marmara (north-west) region.

Killings

Male perpetrators killed 26 women and one child in 18 provinces in July 2011. The highest number of murders was reported for Istanbul. Four women were killed in Istanbul, two in Adana, two in Ankara, two in Izmir, two in Kırşehir and two women in Van. The other murders were committed in Balıkesir, Burdur, Bursa, Hatay, Kars, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Maraş, Mersin and Samsun.

17 women were killed at home, six on the street and one woman was murdered at a women's shelter. One woman who was treated violently by her husband committed suicide at home.

The female victims were between 18 and 73 years old, their murderers were aged between 20 and 55. The majority of the killed women were between 20 to 45 years of age. Most of the murderers were in their thirties.

12 women were killed by their husbands, three by their divorced husbands, for by a relative and two by their boyfriends. Three men committed suicide after they had killed their wives. One male person died because he was wounded when he killed his wife and his child.

One woman killed her husband during divorce procedures because he would not let her see their children. Two girls killed their husbands after they had been forced into marriage.

Rape

21 cases of rape were reported in 12 provinces for the month of July. Nine women in Ankara and two women in Adana were raped. The other cases occurred in the provinces of Antalya, Diyarbakır, Giresun, Manisa, Mersin, Sakarya, Samsun, Siirt, Sivas and Tekirdağ.

Three women were raped by their boyfriends, two girls by the boyfriends of their mothers, one woman by her neighbour, one by her friend. In the remaining cases, the women did not know the culprits.

One woman who had been raped found a place in a women's shelter, two girls were taken to the Society for the Protection of Children. One woman jumped out of the window to escape. One father committed suicide after his two daughters were raped.

The female rape victims were between 16 and 30 years of age. The youngest rapist was 18, the oldest 61 years old.

Twelve male suspects were arrested in the scope of the rape cases in July, three men went to prison. Two suspects were released pending trial.

Abuse - Sexual violence

Nine women in eight provinces experienced abuse and sexual violence in July. Two women were abused in Muğla. The other incidents happened in Ankara, Antalya, Bursa, Çanakkale, İzmir, Samsun and Trabzon.

Women from 15 to 44 years old were exposed to abuse. Their assailants were between 25 and 32 years of age.

Male culprits attempted to rape three women. One woman was exposed to sexual violence by a friend of her boyfriend. A pregnant woman was abused at hospital. Two women were abused by their superiors in the state institutions they work in. One woman who complaint about the incident was appointed to a different position, another woman had her contract terminated.

Only six of the harassers were caught, three of whom were arrested and detained.

Hostage - Abduction

Three women were taken hostage by men in July; one by her boyfriend, one by her husband and one during divorce proceedings by her future ex-husband. One man abducted the woman he wanted to marry.

Injuries

32 women in 18 provinces were wounded by men in July. Six women were injured in Adana, five in Antalya, three in Edirne, two in Manisa and two in Urfa. Two transvestites in Antalya were attacked by a group of 15 men.

The violence experienced by the women mostly came from their husbands. They were followed in numbers by former husbands, former boyfriends, boyfriends and the women's fathers.

One man killed his father and his uncle after he had wounded his sister-in-law and his mother-in-law. One woman jumped out of the window to escape from the violence carried out by her husband. One man threw his wife off the balcony.

Two women injured their violently behaving husbands. One woman was treated violently by her husband on the doorsteps of the courthouse where she went to file a divorce case. The husband refused to pay TL 5 (€ 2) for the petition. He refrained from the divorce and broke his wife's arm.

Two women who had previously filed a criminal complaint with the Public Prosecution went to the police because they were treated violently by their husbands. The police brought them home.

Women aged between 18 and 63 were injured by attackers in the age group from 21 to 67. Five men were taken into police custody in the context of injuries of women in July, one male culprit was taken to prison, one was released pending trial, one was handed to the police and one man was sentenced to imprisonment of ten years and eight months.

Child abuse

In July 2011, three children were exposed to domestic violence and sexual abuse. A mother who burnt her child was released pending trial. One male raped the son of his neighbour and attempted to rape his nephew.

Regional distribution

84 cases of violence against women in 38 provinces, of abuse, rape, sexual harassment, hostage, abduction, suicide and child abuse were reported for July 2011. The Mediterranean was the region where most of these cases occurred.

22 out of a total of 84 incidents in July happened in the Mediterranean region, 21 in the Marmara region, 15 in Central Anatolia, nine on the Aegean coastal region, six in South-Eastern Anatolia, six in the Black Sea Region and five in Eastern Anatolia.

With eight incidents, Adana is taking the lead in the frequency of incidents, followed by Istanbul (6), Antalya (6), Ankara (6), Izmir (4), Konya (4) and Mersin (4). (ÇT/VK)