According to news reports compiled by bianet from local and national newspapers, news websites, and news agencies, men killed at least 20 women in October. Men also killed at least three men who were with the women.
In October, men injured at least 45 women, abused nine girls and boys, and harassed seven women. Men forced 45 women into sex work.
Men killed 242 women in the first ten months of 2026.
The deaths of at least 32 women and nine children reported in the media in October were “suspicious” cases, as it could not be definitively determined whether they were gender-based.
Suspicious deaths of women reported in the media in October
Aksaray (1), Antep (1), Antalya (2), Aydın (2), Batman (1), Burdur (2), Erzincan (1), Erzurum (1), Giresun (1), Hakkari (1), İstanbul (2), Kastamonu (2), Kocaeli (1), Malatya (1), Mardin (2), Maraş (1), Mersin (2), Muğla (2), Niğde (1), Sakarya (1), Siirt (1), Urfa (1), Zonguldak (2)
Provinces of suspicious deaths of children in October
Adıyaman (1), Amasya (1), Antep (1), Ankara (1), Aydın (1), Denizli (1), Maraş (1), Urfa (2)
Male violence in 2026
In the first ten months of 2026, men killed 242 women, harassed 167 women, abused 184 children, committed acts of violence against 492 women, and raped 15 women. Men forced at least 916 women into sex work. While the deaths of 404 women were reported in the media as “suspicious,” men killed at least 17 children.
Femicide
Men killed 20 women in October. Last year, the number was 22 for the same month.
Names of women killed by men in October
Aleyna A., Asiye İ., Asiye K., Asliye A., Aynur Ekici, Canan Yıldırım, Ebru Serep, Elif K., Emel Bozkuş, Fadime Akbal, Füsun Yuluğural, Gökçe Alkan, Gülşah Oktay, Kumsal Kayan, Melek A., Özge Penbegül, Perihan A., Pınar Güneş, Sevda Dinler, Vennaz E.
Men killed ten women because they wanted to break up or refused to reconcile. They also killed one woman because she rejected a proposal to become his girlfriend.
The pretexts for the men’s killings of nine women were not reported in the media.
Fifteen women were killed by their husbands, boyfriends, or former fiancés; one woman was killed by a neighbor; and four women were killed by men such as their fathers or sons.
Men killed 10 women inside their homes and 10 women outside their homes.
Men killed 14 women with firearms and 2 women with bladed weapons. They killed 2 women by burning them and 2 women by beating them to death.
Provinces where men killed women
Adana (1), Ankara (2), Antalya (1), Aydın (3), Bursa (2), Erzurum (1), İzmir (3), Kırklareli (1), Kocaeli (1), Konya (2), Malatya (1), Osmaniye (1), Trabzon (1).
Legal proceedings
There were 25 perpetrators in October. 17 perpetrators were arrested. One perpetrator was taken into custody. Six perpetrators committed suicide. The legal proceedings for one perpetrator were not reported in the media.
Harassment
In October, men harassed at least seven women. This number was 14 in the same month last year.
Men harassed six women outside the home and one woman inside the home. Three women were harassed by men who were passengers, teachers, or hospital employees. The nature of the relationship between the man who harassed three of the women and the victims was not reported in the media.
Provinces where men harassed women
Adana (1), Aydın (2), İstanbul (2), İzmir (1), Kocaeli (1).
Legal proceedings
There were 12 perpetrators who committed these acts of harassment. Eight perpetrators were arrested. One perpetrator was taken into custody, and two were released. Legal proceedings were initiated against one perpetrator.
Child abuse
Men abused at least 9 girls and boys in October. During the same 14-month period last year, this number was 18.
One child was abused by his father, one by a public official, one by a relative, one by a Quran class instructor, one by a grocery store clerk, and two by hospital staff. The identity of the man who abused one child was not reported in the media.
Provinces where men abused children
Adana (1), Aydın (1), İstanbul (1), Sakarya (2), Urfa (4).
Legal proceedings
There were 25 perpetrators who abused children. Five perpetrators were arrested. Seventeen perpetrators were taken into custody. Legal proceedings were initiated against two perpetrators. One perpetrator was released.
Sexual assault/rape
According to information reported in the media, men raped a woman in October. Last year, the number of such cases in the same month was two.
A man raped a woman who was his relative.
Men raped a woman inside her home. The woman had an intellectual disability.
Provinces where men raped women
Samsun (1).
Legal proceedings
There was one perpetrator who raped a woman. He was arrested.
Violence/injury
Men injured at least 45 women in October. Last year, the number was 79 for the same month.
At least six women were taken to the hospital with injuries.
Provinces where men inflicted violence on women
Adana (2), Antalya (2), Antep (2), Aydın (2), Bursa (2), Edirne (23), Eskişehir (1), İstanbul (2), İzmir (1), Kocaeli (2), Malatya (3), Maraş (1), Ordu (1), Zonguldak (1).
At least 37 women were injured by their husbands, ex-husbands, partners, boyfriends, or ex-boyfriends. One woman was injured by her son-in-law, one by her brother, one by a friend, one by a customer, and one by her boss. The relationship status of the men who injured at least three women was not reported in the press.
Men injured at least five women because they “did not want to reconcile or wanted to break up.” The “pretext” for the men’s attacks on 39 women was not reported in the media.
Men injured 34 women outside the home and 11 women inside the home.
Men injured 36 women by beating them, eight women with sharp objects, and one woman by throwing her off a balcony.
Legal proceedings
There were 44 perpetrators who committed violence against women. Legal proceedings were initiated against 27 of these perpetrators; four were taken into custody; eight were arrested; two were released; two committed suicide; and the legal proceedings regarding one perpetrator were not reported in the media.
Forced sex work
In October, men forced 45 women into sex work. Last year, the number was 150 for the same month. Children were also among those forced into sex work. Ten of the women were not Turkish citizens.
Provinces where women were forced into sex work
Eskişehir (19), Konya (10), Nevşehir (16)
Legal proceedings
There were 50 perpetrators who forced women into sex work. Nineteen perpetrators were arrested. Twenty-nine perpetrators were taken into custody. Two perpetrators were released.
bianet Male Violence Monitoring Report only covers women who lost their lives as a result of male violence reported in the press.
We do not include any violence cases or crimes that are not gender-based.
Throughout the year, we keep track of unidentified murders and suspicious deaths of women in separate monthly tallies but do not add them to the number presented in the headline.
At the end of the year, we examine these cases of unidentified murders and suspicious deaths to determine whether the crimes were gender-based. We add the gender-based incidents into the report.
We do not include any murders in the reports that are committed by people with psychological disorders (such as murders committed by people with schizophrenia).
We include suicide or suicide attempt incidents in the tally only if the woman was subjected to violence/ systematic violence in her past. We cover these suicide incidents in a separate category and do not add suicide cases to the number presented in the headline.
In addition, we don't include femicide cases that occur in a mass murder in which the woman was not directly targeted under the condition that the debated incident is not gender based either.
Occupations of the offenders only included in the reports when the incident of violence is related to the occupation of the offender. For example, "Woman was murdered at home by his husband, who is a professional soldier."
(EMK/VK)
