‘You cannot usurp women's right to alimony behind closed doors'

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The Women's Platform for Equality of Turkey (EŞİK) has released a written statement about the legal amendment concerning the right to alimony reportedly on the agenda of the government. The EŞİK has said that the legislative proposal is against the Constitution.

"Women are all ears about the news on alimony, but it is impossible to get information on the preparations about the issue," the EŞİK has said, recalling that the draft proposal would be presented to President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the AKP Central Executive Committee meeting yesterday (January 10).

Referring to Turkey's withdrawal from the İstanbul Convention "in a midnight decision against the Constitution and law", it has raised concerns over the attempts to "recklessly introduce regulations against women and children and halted thanks to the struggle of women since then."

Reiterating that "the details of the package said to be submitted to the Parliament in a week are not announced," the Women's Platform for Equality has recalled that "the package is poised to foresee legal regulations about three main issues: Women's and children's alimony/ welfare allowance, the procedure of divorce cases and family intermediation."

The EŞİK has raised concerns that "imposing a restriction on women's right to alimony or leaving it to the discretion of judges will increase the economic, psychological, sexual and physical violence against women, imprison them in houses, further deepen the increasing gender inequality and women's poverty in Turkey and make it harder for women to decide to have a divorce, thereby leading to great violations of rights."

'There is a wish to amend Civil Code'

The Platform has also noted that "for years, there have been ongoing attempts to abolish women's rights within the union of marriage regulated by the Civil Code and their all rights such as equitable distribution and right of inheritance in the event of death and even to completely eliminate the Civil Code and this package is the most current example of this."

Noting that the related legal "package will also pave the way for a plurality of legal systems", the Platform has underlined that "it is against both the rule of law and principle of secularism as well as the requirement stipulating that alternative dispute resolutions such as intermediation and reconciliation shall not be the case when violence against women is concerned."

Concluding its statement titled "You cannot usurp our right to alimony behind closed doors too", the EŞİK has noted that "the request of a group of men who are organized in various names, have the members of some political parties, religious communities and cults among themselves, are openly misogynist and say 'they are troubled with not only the alimony but the Civil Code' are portrayed as the request of the entire society."

According to the EŞİK, in this way, there is an attempt to exclude women and children from the protection of the Civil Code. The Platform has said, "Laying claim to the right to alimony means laying claim to the Civil Code, the rule of law and principle of secularism." (EMK/SD)