120 organizations to hold a rally: ‘We don’t give up on İstanbul Convention’

"Withdraw the decision, implement the convention" (by Fatma Erdoğan)

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

A written statement has been released ahead of the rally to be held in Maltepe district of İstanbul on June 19, 2021 upon the joint call of women from over 120 women's and LGBTI+ organizations, labor and occupational organizations, political parties, initiatives and platforms.

Turkey has withdrawn from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, known as the İstanbul Convention, by a Presidential decision dated March 20, 2020. On July 1, the İstanbul Convention will no longer be in force in Turkey, according to the Article 80 of the Convention regarding denunciation.

Within this context, women will gather in İstanbul's Maltepe on June 19 to express their support for the İstanbul Convention and to once again protest the decision to pull Turkey out of the Convention.

Titled "We don't give up on the İstanbul Convention", the joint statement of the organizations briefly reads as follows:

'We don't give up on our lives or rights'

"We don't give up on the ideal of equality of the İstanbul Convention! We don't give up on our demand for an equal, free life away from violence!

"We don't give up on our lives, on equality or our rights!

"We don't give up on our efforts to ensure that gender equality is realized in all areas of life or our demand for the policies that need to be implemented to establish gender equality! We don't give up on our lives, we don't give up on equality, we don't give up on our rights!

"We don't accept the unlawful withdrawal from the İstanbul Convention, which is a wide social agreement, by the decision of a single person.

"We consider the prevention of male violence and child abuse, the protection of women, children and LGBTI+s from violence, the trial of perpetrators of violence and the development of gender-based policies to be a Constitutional obligation of the state; we don't accept the withdrawal from this obligation!

"We don't accept that the prevention of violence against women be left to the 'consciences'; we don't accept one more feminicide!

'We will be in Maltepe on June 19'

"We don't accept the failure to fully implement the Law no. 6284 on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women; we don't accept the attempts to amend the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) Article 103, thereby granting amnesty to the perpetrators of child abuse; we don't accept the efforts to restrict women's right to alimony.

"We don't accept the sacredness of the family, where violence occurs. We don't accept that LGBTI+s be subjected to hate speech and used as a propaganda tool to create a negative public opinion about the Convention.

"We keep on shouting! Women will set off all across the country and come together in İstanbul on June 19. We keep on shouting! We don't give up on the İstanbul Convention! We keep on shouting that we will claim our rights, which we acquired thanks to years-long struggle, together!

"We know that we are together and very strong in the face of the attacks targeting our rights and lives and we keep on shouting: We will be in Maltepe, İstanbul on June 19 at 1 p.m. We don't hush! We don't fear! We don't obey! We don't give up on the İstanbul Convention!

"As the women from over 120 women's and LGBTI+ organizations, labor and occupational organizations, political parties, initiatives and platforms, we invite all women and LGBTI+s - organized or not organized - to the rally that we jointly organize. We are one person missing without you."

What happened?

Turkey has withdrawn from the İstanbul Convention with a Presidential decision published in the Official Gazette on March 20, 2021.

The decision in question said that "the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, which was signed by Turkey on May 11, 2011 and approved with the Cabinet Decree no. 2012/2816 on February 10, 2012, shall be terminated on the part of Turkey as per the Article 3 of the Presidential Decree no. 9."

Following this Presidential decision published at midnight, several social media users, women's rights defenders, lawyers and politicians, denounced the decision, recalling that the convention was unanimously approved at the Parliament and stressing that it is not possible for Turkey to withdraw from an international convention with a Presidential decision.

After the Presidential decision pulling Turkey out of the İstanbul Convention was met with criticisms and objections in both Turkey and around the world, the Communications Directorate of the Presidency released a written statement about the issue on March 22.

"As known, Turkey was the first signatory to the Istanbul Convention," the statement noted, arguing that the "İstanbul Convention, originally intended to promote women's rights, was hijacked by a group of people attempting to normalize homosexuality – which is incompatible with Turkey's social and family values. Hence the decision to withdraw."

The protests are still ongoing. (EMK/SD)