AKP submits legislative proposal on ‘violence against women, healthcare workers’

Click to read the article in Turkish

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) submitted the 18-article legislative proposal foreseeing the prevention of male violence and involving the employee personal rights of healthcare workers to the Parliamentary Speaker's Office yesterday (March 16).

AKP Group Deputy Chair Bülent Turan and Ankara MP Selva Çam held a press conference at the Parliament and said: "Our draft law involves the prevention of violence against women and employee personal rights of our health workers. We expect positive attitudes from all parties".

'Deterrent penalties'

Selva Çam, the first signatory of the draft law, said, "Our proposal brings deterrent penalties to the crimes committed against women" and added that the party has "submitted a proposal that will increase both penalties and their deterrence in acts of 'injury' and 'wilful killing'".

Recalling that the Article 62/2 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) considers the behavior before and during the hearing within the scope of good conduct reduction, Çam said, "In the new legislation, we want the acts of remorse to be considered essential" and announced that the AKP has proposed a provision foreseeing that the acts and behavior displayed to influence the judge and role playing will not lead to a discretionary mitigation.

Çam further noted that if this legislation enters into force, "the public perception that penalties are reduced for some factors such as wearing a tie, clasping one's hands, hanging down and the like as well as the legal deficiencies in implementing the good conduct time will be eliminated".

Wilful injury against women

Selva Çam also announced that the act of "wilful injury" against women will be included in the "catalog crimes", which are considered to be a reason for arrest: "It will also be considered a catalog crime if wilful injury is committed against a person who is in a state physically or mentally unable to defend oneself or when the crime is committed with monstrous feelings".

According to AKP's Çam, "the penalties to be handed down by courts will be increased if the crimes are committed against women".

'Stalking will also be a crime'

With this legislative proposal, stalking will be defined as a crime in itself under the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) and the draft foresees 6 months to 2 years in prison for stalking, a form of harassment of women.

If the crime is committed against a child, a spouse whom one is about to divorce or an ex-spouse or if the crime causes the aggrieved party to leave or change one's house, it will be punishable by 1 year to 3 years imprisonment. Çam indicated that the women subjected to violence will be assigned a lawyer free of charge by the bar association if they request it.

Malpractice cases against health workers

The AKP MPs announced that the draft law contains "recommendations about the necessary legal assurances and support in the face of 'malpractice cases' faced by physicians following treatments".

With the proposal, according to the AKP MPs, "the crimes of wilful injury committed against health workers while they are on duty or due to their duty will be included in the catalog crimes". (AEK/SD)