reports in GENDER category

Men killed 25 women in November

Men killed 25 women in November

Men injured at least 33 women and abused 23 girls and boys in November.

3 December 2025 Evrim Kepenek

Trans activist Janset Kalan sentenced for 'obscenity' over photo showing 'cleavage'

Trans activist Janset Kalan sentenced for 'obscenity' over photo showing 'cleavage'

"That’s the alleged crime: my legs and cleavage are visible. It’s horrifying. If this continues, no one will be able to wear a mini dress, spaghetti straps, bikinis, or go to the beach," said Kalan.

26 November 2025

Women and LGBTI+ groups rally in İstanbul against gender-based violence

Women and LGBTI+ groups rally in İstanbul against gender-based violence

Thirteen participants were briefly detained after the demonstration concluded.

26 November 2025 Evrim Kepenek

2020–2025: Men killed at least 1,923 women and injured 4,436

2020–2025: Men killed at least 1,923 women and injured 4,436

In 324 days between Jan 1 and Nov 21, men killed at least 262 women and injured at least 668 women through violence. During the same period, the deaths of at least 408 women were reported as suspicious, with it remaining unclear whether they were femicides.

24 November 2025 Evrim Kepenek

Irfan Kovankaya

'If there weren’t so few LGBTI+ journalists, I’d simply work at a cafe'

'If there weren’t so few LGBTI+ journalists, I’d simply work at a cafe'

Journalist Yusuf Çelik reflects on covering LGBTI+ issues in Turkey amid state pressure and repeated arrests.

22 November 2025 Irfan Kovankaya

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Women, LGBTI+ activists investigated for ‘insulting the state’ over 'Get your hands off my body' slogan

Women, LGBTI+ activists investigated for ‘insulting the state’ over 'Get your hands off my body' slogan

Activists staged a protest against a judicial reform package that reportedly includes provisions that would potentially criminalize LGBTI+s.

19 November 2025 Tuğçe Yılmaz

Men killed 22 women in October

Men killed 22 women in October

Men injured at least 79 women and abused 14 girls and boys in October.

4 November 2025 Evrim Kepenek

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Police block İstanbul protest against judicial package targeting LGBTI+ rights

Police block İstanbul protest against judicial package targeting LGBTI+ rights

The package includes provisions directly targeting LGBTI+s.

27 October 2025 Tuğçe Yılmaz

Turkey’s new judicial package would criminalize LGBTI+ journalism, press freedom groups warn

Turkey’s new judicial package would criminalize LGBTI+ journalism, press freedom groups warn

“If enacted, this legislation would eliminate the right of LGBTI+s to receive and share news,” the statement read.

24 October 2025

Two activists detained after 2024 Trans Pride March acquitted of charges

Two activists detained after 2024 Trans Pride March acquitted of charges

One of the activists was taken into cusody while walking on the street and the other while drinking coffee at a café.

21 October 2025

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Proposed judicial package introduces criminal penalties targeting LGBTI+ community

Proposed judicial package introduces criminal penalties targeting LGBTI+ community

The package includes provisions that criminalize public expression and promotion of LGBTI+ identities, raise the minimum age for gender reassignment surgeries from 18 to 25, and expand censorship of digital content.

16 October 2025 Tuğçe Yılmaz

Queer singer Mabel Matiz given travel ban in ‘obscenity’ probe over song lyrics

Queer singer Mabel Matiz given travel ban in ‘obscenity’ probe over song lyrics

Earlier this month, the Family and Social Services Ministry requested a court order to block access to the song "Perperişan," citing potential harm to “public order and general health.”

22 September 2025

Privacy violations at İstanbul state dorm: 'We are afraid to leave our rooms'

Privacy violations at İstanbul state dorm: 'We are afraid to leave our rooms'

Images shared on social media showed broken cabinet locks and intimate items defaced, including bras marked with hearts.

19 September 2025 Beyza Köz

Ministry seeks ban on queer singer's new song on 'public morality' grounds

Ministry seeks ban on queer singer's new song on 'public morality' grounds

Mabel Matiz, an openly queer singer, could see their latest song banned from music streaming platforms.

18 September 2025

Manifest 'girl band' faces obscenity probe over age-restricted concert

Manifest 'girl band' faces obscenity probe over age-restricted concert

The band, which released its debut album in February and quickly become a senation in the Turkish pop scene, is under investigation over their outfits and behavior at their latest concert.

8 September 2025

Men killed 23 women in August

Men killed 23 women in August

Men injured at least 76 women in August and abused 13 girls and boys.

3 September 2025 Evrim Kepenek

Akbank Short Film Festival canceled amid wave of harassment allegations in Turkey’s arts sector

Akbank Short Film Festival canceled amid wave of harassment allegations in Turkey’s arts sector

The festival's director was among dozens of men facing sexual harassment accusations amid a new wave of online revelations by women.

Sexual misconduct allegations target over 100 in Turkey's cultural sector as survivors speak out online

Sexual misconduct allegations target over 100 in Turkey's cultural sector as survivors speak out online

The allegations include several high-profile figures, prompting institutions to cut ties and launch internal investigations.

Report highlights rise in child abuse cases in Turkey, underlines secrecy around incest

Report highlights rise in child abuse cases in Turkey, underlines secrecy around incest

The report criticizes Turkey’s current child protection policies for focusing primarily on punitive responses.

Man accused of killing wife 'for wearing swimsuit' released seven months after arrest

Man accused of killing wife 'for wearing swimsuit' released seven months after arrest

The man was found to be living in Iraq after his release despite facing life imprisonment.

Court blocks access to Kaos GL LGBTI+ group's Instagram account

Court blocks access to Kaos GL LGBTI+ group's Instagram account

The group's website and X accounts were previously banned by courts.

Secret filming on metro not classified as harassment by police

Secret filming on metro not classified as harassment by police

A man verbally harassed journalist Özge Kar Odabaş and two friends, secretly recorded them, and then tried to destroy the evidence.

18 August 2025 Evrim Kepenek

Four years of Taliban rule in Afghanistan: Maternal mortality rises, 18,000 midwives short

Four years of Taliban rule in Afghanistan: Maternal mortality rises, 18,000 midwives short

Assoc. Prof. Özlem Altıok says, “We should ask the men who liken Afghanistan, turned into hell for women by the Taliban, to paradise: would they want to live in that paradise?”

15 August 2025 Evrim Kepenek

Turkey’s religious authority issues sermon opposing equal inheritance for daughters

Turkey’s religious authority issues sermon opposing equal inheritance for daughters

“Diyanet is trying to cut women’s inheritance rights in half, extending what the government has already done through hidden changes in the mediation system to cover all inheritance matters,” says a women's right group.

Muslim feminist writer removes headscarf in protest of Diyanet sermon on women’s attire

Muslim feminist writer removes headscarf in protest of Diyanet sermon on women’s attire

Berrin Sönmez says the latest khutbah was a "veiled imposition of headscarf" on women.

Men killed 32 women in July

Men killed 32 women in July

Men injured at least 85 women and abused eight girls and boys in July.

6 August 2025 Evrim Kepenek

The women of the land: The silent revolution of ecofeminism in Turkey

The women of the land: The silent revolution of ecofeminism in Turkey

From the Kaz Mountains to the Black Sea, women are defending not only nature but also their identities, labor, and right to life. This way of thinking and struggling is called “ecofeminism.”

5 August 2025 Evrim Kepenek

Tuğçe Yılmaz

İstanbul police detain trans women for ID checks amid profiling concerns

İstanbul police detain trans women for ID checks amid profiling concerns

"They didn’t fine us, but they documented us. The new law hasn’t even passed yet, but they’re already enforcing it on us," said one trans woman.

1 August 2025 Tuğçe Yılmaz

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Drone-backed police operation targets trans women in Beyoğlu: ‘We’re too afraid to work’

Drone-backed police operation targets trans women in Beyoğlu: ‘We’re too afraid to work’

Last week, a street in İstanbul’s Beyoğlu district where trans women live was placed under police blockade, and several homes were raided following drone surveillance.

28 July 2025 Tuğçe Yılmaz

Report sheds light on abuse faced by sex workers in Turkey

Report sheds light on abuse faced by sex workers in Turkey

Sex workers who experience violence suffer from intense fear, panic attacks, and social isolation, according to the report.

Men killed 14 women in June

Men killed 14 women in June

Men injured at least 68 women and abused 18 girls and boys in June.

4 July 2025 Evrim Kepenek

LGBTI+ groups denounce new hormone access restrictions

LGBTI+ groups denounce new hormone access restrictions

"We will not stand by and watch as young trans and intersex people are pushed into underground health centers and black market drug dealers," 17 groups said in a jonit statement.