United Nations Turkey Country Team Statement

The Resident Coordinator’s Office on behalf of the United Nations Country Team in Turkey condemns the horrendous killings of Pınar Gültekin, Bahar Özcan, Fatma Altınmakas and of other women who have tragically lost their lives due to femicide. We stand again in solidarity with all women and men of Turkey who are taking a stand against and working to prevent and end violence against women and girls.

Violence against women and girls remains one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today. It occurs worldwide, cutting across all nationalities, ethnicities, generations, and spheres of our societies. At its most extreme, it takes lives and ruins communities. Every day 137 women across the world are killed by intimate partners or other family members. The killing of women by their partner is often the culmination of long-term violence and can be prevented.

We recognize the considerable progress that Turkey has made with regards legislation to combat violence against women. Turkey was the first country to ratify unanimously in 2012 the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Known as the Istanbul Convention, it provides a comprehensive framework to prevent violence, protect survivors and prosecute perpetrators, backed by coordinated and comprehensive policies and allocated resources, in line with the global standards set out in the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

We reiterate our call for the continued, full and effective implementation of the Istanbul Convention. We stand ready to continue supporting the Turkish government, civil society, including women’s organizations, and all relevant stakeholders in their efforts to eradicate violence against women and girls. These include further strengthening the legal framework and its implementation, improving services for survivors, and addressing its root causes, by tackling wider gender inequalities and challenging gender stereotypes, hate speech and attitudes that lead to discrimination and condone and incite violence.

Violence against women and girls persists as an endemic and often silent crisis in all societies. It is however not inevitable. We join the numerous institutions, organizations and individuals in Turkey who have called for an end to femicide and to gender-based violence. With ten years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, in line with the commitment to “leave no one behind” of the Agenda 2030, and as we mark the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action,  all members of society, each and every one us, can help to stop this preventable global scourge and to create a world free from violence against women and girls.