12 women murdered in last 13 days

ISTANBUL

In the last 13 days 12 women have been killed in Türkiye as women’s rights defenders cry out against the lack of preventative policies.

Some of these women, who were killed by their husbands or ex-husbands despite the restraining orders, were taken away from life with their child or mother.

In June 31 women were murdered, 22 women were found dead in suspicious cases, according to Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu (We Will Stop Femicide Platform), a women’s rights organization that monitors violence against women.

“The majority of femicides are committed with firearms, which can be easily purchased online,” said Rukiye Leyla Süren, a lawyer from Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu.

Individual armament, the attitude of the rulers and impunity fuel these murders, Süren said, adding that she protests that even though these are known, no one shows any interest.

“36 women were killed in May and 31 women in June in Türkiye.”

“While going through such a period, we don’t know in which province these women died, what their age, marital status, education level were, and what were the reasons for their murder,” said Canan Güllü, the head of the Federation of Turkish Women Associations.

“The government doesn’t reveal these data, we are not able to recognize the reasons for the murders.”

Unless policies on prevention are implemented, there will be more femicides, Güllü added.