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Amid ongoing debates about Turkey's possible withdrawal from the İstanbul Convention, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) municipalities have started gifting the convention to newlyweds.
It was first the CHP's Odunpazarı District Municipality in the Central Anatolian province of Eskişehir that started giving the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. Then, the Nazlıdere Municipality in İzmir followed suit.
Shortly afterwards, the Municipalities of Beşiktaş and Kadıköy in İstanbul have decided to give the newlyweds the İstanbul Convention following their marriage ceremony, in addition to their marriage certificate.
It is done to raise awareness
With the aim of raising awareness about violence against women and domestic violence, the Beşiktaş Municipality is now giving couples a card with the articles of the convention written on it.
Performing a marriage ceremony at the weekend, Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat gave a copy of the İstanbul Convention to the couple, expressing his wish for a society free of any type of violence.
Indicating that all newlyweds would be given the İstanbul Convention from then on, he underlined that the convention was not a threat to family, but, on the contrary, a very important gain on its part.
'İstanbul Convention keeps one alive'
On its social media account, the CHP's Kadıköy Municipality has also said,
"As of today, we are giving a booklet of the İstanbul Convention to newly married couples together with their marriage certificate. We want them to claim this convention in their happily ever after.
"İstanbul Convention keeps one alive."
From the İstanbul ConventionArticle 9 – Non-governmental organisations and civil society Parties shall recognise, encourage and support, at all levels, the work of relevant non-governmental organisations and of civil society active in combating violence against women and establish effective co-operation with these organisations. Article 10 – Co-ordinating body 1) Parties shall designate or establish one or more official bodies responsible for the coordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and measures to prevent and combat all forms of violence covered by this Convention. These bodies shall coordinate the collection of data as referred to in Article 11, analyse and disseminate its results. 2) Parties shall ensure that the bodies designated or established pursuant to this article receive information of a general nature on measures taken pursuant to Chapter VIII. 3) Parties shall ensure that the bodies designated or established pursuant to this article shall have the capacity to communicate directly and foster relations with their counterparts in other Parties. |
(EMK/SD)
