Being a woman means always being on guard. For us, the struggle for equality is a struggle that lasts throughout our lives. The streets, nights, television programs and screens belong to men. What falls under the women’s share is to remain to live with the fear of violence, harassment, rape and death in the household.
Increasing Discrimination Against Women in the World and Turkey
With the effect of the pandemic, violence and discrimination against girls and women are continuing to increase in the world. As United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres underlined, women’s achievements slid back to where they were ten years ago in some countries and 30 years in others. Masculinist authoritarian populist governments in Poland, Hungary and Turkey have been targeting the achievements of women. What these regimes share in common is that they have placed the Istanbul Convention on their target.
Since Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan eliminated the Parliamentary System in 2018 and established the Presidential System with the support of a conservative nationalist front, women have been losing the advances they have gained through major struggles and international conventions. Women suffer the most from the spiral of violence that surrounds the country; femicide and violence are also on the rise. Even though curfews prevailed in the country due to the pandemic, at least 300 women were killed in 2020¹ . Women continue to be subjected to many dimensions of violence and discrimination today.
Women’s organizations have been campaigning for the state to implement the İstanbul Convention (which is established domestically under Law No. 6284² ) that bestows states the responsibility to prevent gender-based violence. The name of the convention, which was opened for signature by the European Convention in 2011 comes from İstanbul as the document was opened for signature in this city, and the Turkish government was its first signatory. Additionally, research has revealed that the society also supports the Istanbul Convention at the rate of 63%³ .
Being on the Side of Women or Those Who Target Women?
And yet, people and institutions, mainly in the line of radical Islam, started to demonize the Istanbul Convention by using their media outlets. These marginal groups, which influenced the ruling circles, pressed the AKP (Justice and Development Party) and President Erdogan, who had been losing their power politically, to exit this convention. On the one hand, there are women who make up half of the population; on the other hand, Radical Islamists with less than 3% of the votes. Who would dominate the political axis of the president? The women who brought the AKP and Recep Tayyip Erdogan to power, or the Islamist circles where Erdogan’s political roots are? We learned the answer to this question with the Presidential Decree on the night of March 20; the Government of Turkey announced that it is exiting the Istanbul Convention and clearly showed on whose side it was on.
Istanbul Convention or Destruction
There are many issues to be followed regarding the illegality of the procedure of withdrawal from the convention. Political parties, bar associations and women’s organizations are pursuing their legal objections to the process. Nevertheless, this act from the Turkish government should be differentiated from other cases of withdrawal from an international convention. This step is the declaration of the conservative nationalist government, on its way to the elections of 2023, giving up its commitment to the Republic’s contemporary democratic values such as human rights and the equality of women and men.
If we recognize the circumstances we are experiencing as individuals living in this country, we can see how we can fight politically against the backlash. Either one can stand by the mentality that justifies the abuse of women and children in the name of defending family values or stand for girls, women and LGBTI+ individuals. This position would entail seeing LGBTI+ people as equal citizens that must be protected against violence and supporting the democratic values of the modern Republic of Turkey.
We are in a moment when we are stating that it is either the Istanbul Convention or Destruction
Today is the day to defend the Istanbul Convention. To defend the Istanbul Convention is to defend the republic, democracy, secularism, human rights and freedoms, gender equality, life and peace.
Women, Men and LGBTI + People Are a Part of Our Common Struggle
Today, it is the day for everyone who defends these values, men and women, LGBTI + people all together, to defend the Istanbul Convention side by side. Today is the day to take our future together into our own hands.
I invite you all to support our just cause.
Gülseren Onanç
Notes
[1] The emphasis on curfews is added here due to its impact in deterring the perpetrators of violence. For a review of the effect of curfews during the pandemic to femicides in Turkey see Asik and Nas Ozen https://ideas.repec.org/p/erg/wpaper/1443.html
[2] 6284 Law to Protect Family and Prevent Violence against Women
[3] Toplumun Yüzde 63’ü İstanbul Sözleşmesi’nden Çekilmeye Karşı http://esitlikadaletkadin.org/new/metropoll-yuzde-63-6-istanbul-sozlesmesinden-cekilmeye-karsi/