"The vital problem of violence against women and its consequences can be eliminated by implementing the necessary social policies. In order to achieve this, first of all institutions belonging to the government and the political powers should assume responsibility and the entire number of related non-governmental and official institutions should co-operate".
This is the base where the recommendations of the Central Steering Board of the Psychiatric Association of Turkey against violence emerge from. Dr Agah Aydın and Assoc. Prof. Ayşe Devrim Başterzi read out an announcement on behalf of the association on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November.
Recommendations for the prevention of violence
In their announcement, the association analyzed the sources of violence, the kind of harm inflicted to the women who were exposed to violence and the role of the language that contributes to a permanent form of violence and its occurrence, the role of the media, the school curriculum and legal regulations. The Psychiatric Association of Turkey announced a number of precautions to prevent violence against women.
* International agreements must be implemented and the Prime Ministry should immediately implement positive approaches such as the "Violence" Circular without waiting for fundamental structural solutions regarding legal regulations.
* A serious and comprehensive action plan must be prepared to guarantee the women's right to life. All necessary steps should be taken accordingly and implemented de facto.
* The 'mitigation of punishment due to unjust provocation' applied in trials on violence against women should be lifted. Article 29 of the Turkish Criminal Law (TCK) on 'unjust provocation' has to be lifted. So-called 'honour' killings should be recognized as extrajudicial killings according to international law. Different strategies on various levels must be developed to prevent these murders.
* Women who are exposed to violence and death threats must be protected by providing the use of all legal rights and taking special precautions and the number of women shelters should be increased to meet the demand.
* Large-scale epidemiological studies should be supported to reveal the frequency of mental illnesses in gender roles and the effects of the emanating problems. Factors for protecting and improving influences on the women's mental health should be defined.
* Women, men and children, i.e. all citizens should be able to benefit from social security, to access health services without restrictions and free of charge.
* The media should report about violence against women and rape in an ethically correct language. The violence involved in a rape should not be hidden and reports about rape must refrain from any sort of arousing manner.
* Writings and visuals in the press, movies and music should not express any kind of male dominance and humiliation of women. Curriculums at all educational institutions including pre-school should be free of gender discrimination.
* Opinions of women and women organizations must be considered for any kind of regulations regarding women. Requests of non-governmental organizations should be met and their work should be supported.
Purple Roof: Struggling against violence for 20 years
The Purple Roof ('Mor Çatı) Women's Shelter Foundation has been struggling for an end of violence against women in Turkey for the last 20 years by supplying legal, social and psychological aid for women and children who experienced violence. The foundation declared that the awareness on violence against women has increased over time. Yet, the alternatives regarding places to apply to in order to escape the violence have not increased in the same ratio, the foundation criticized.
"Where is the Family Minister when 3 women are killed per day?"
The Ankara Women Platform submitted a file to the Prime Minister on the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The platform criticized the Minister for Women and Family Affairs, Selma Aliye Kavaf, and other officials for remaining silent on the problem of violence against women and demanded urgent measures. Subsequent to a protest march through the capital of Ankara, the women issued a press release, saying, "We are living in a country where three women are killed per day on average and where women murders have increased by 1,400 percent over the past seven years".
"We revolt against women murders!"
Members of the Istanbul Feminist Collective went to the streets as well to draw attention to the high number of women murders. They organized a demonstration in the scope of their campaign "We revolt against women murders". They shouted slogans such as "Male affections kills three women every day! The murderers are in our houses". (BB/NT/VK)
