Interior Ministry's new plan for combating male violence 'window-dressing,' says women's group

"I am not afraid because there are women" (Photo: csgorselarsiv/Emre Orman)

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The Ministry of Interior has issued a circular including the "Combating Violence Against women 2022 Activity Plan" to the governor's office of all 81 provinces.

The circular prepared as part of a five-year national plan sets targets in five areas, namely access to justice and legislation, policies and coordination, protective and preventive services, social awareness and data and statistics.

The targets stated in the plan include training five million men about male violence, increasing the number of ankle monitors to 1,500, increasing the number of downloads of the Women's Emergency Support (KADES) to five million, increasing the number of women's shelters and training 110,000 law enforcement personnel about violence against women.

New units to combat violence against women will be set up and the existing units will be expanded, according to the circular. Also, systems for urgent response to incidents of male violence will be improved.

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The We Will Stop Femicides Platform criticized the ministry's plan, saying that it was not much more than "window-dressing."

"How many circulars have been issued and not implemented?" the group asked on Twitter.

It said the government was trying to deceive the public with such moves after pulling Turkey out of the İstanbul Convention, a Council of Europe treaty for combating violence against women, and not effectively implementing Law No. 6284 on violence against women.

"It is us who struggle for the implementation of these circulars and laws. Arrangements made without the opinion of women remain inadequate and do not get any results.

"If you want to end violence against women, implement the İstanbul Convention, which has an integrated policy."

(RT/EMK/VK)