The Istanbul Convention & Our Struggle For Gender Equality

At midnight on 19 March 2021, in my beloved country, it was suddenly announced that a decision was made to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, of which the official title is, “Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence.” This triggered social media posts and street protests with banners bearing the words “The Istanbul Convention keeps us alive.” What was the purpose behind taking this withdrawal decision at midnight, especially considering the fact that Turkey was the first to sign the Istanbul Convention in 2011? Couldn't they have waited until the morning, for example? Was it really that urgent? What was the need for taking away these rights from women immediately? What is the purpose of withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention? To whom is the message addressed, on the other hand? I don't know the answer to these questions. I don't know whether there are any answers, but if there are, please share them with me.

Let me put it this way; I wonder if the country was a bed of roses and only the Istanbul Convention was the problem? As if unemployment rates were low, violence against women was over, the country's economic situation was excellent, exports were thriving, money was flowing in, and there were no problems for farmers and laborers, it was time to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, is that so? Or was the aim to change the public perception and change the agenda? I am curious what kind of threat the Istanbul Convention posed that this decision had to be taken so hastily, flouting procedure and law? Who was upset by the Istanbul Convention's rights for women, and why? Together, let us ponder. What harm does this Convention cause and to whom?

Chapter I – Purposes, Definitions, Equality and Non-Discrimination, General Obligations

Article 1 – Purposes of the Convention

The purposes of this Convention are to

• protect women against all forms of violence, and prevent, prosecute and eliminate violence against women and domestic violence;
• contribute to the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and promote substantive equality between women and men, including by empowering women;
• design a comprehensive framework, policies and measures for the protection of and assistance to all victims of violence against women and domestic violence;
• promote international co-operation with a view to eliminating violence against women and domestic violence;
• provide support and assistance to organizations and law enforcement agencies to effectively cooperate in order to adopt an integrated approach to eliminating violence against women and domestic violence.

In this article, the parties clearly state the purpose of the convention, which is to prevent violence against women. I would especially like to draw your attention to Article 1 (b). It says, "Promote substantive equality between women and men," and the aim is to establish gender equality, not to elevate one group over another. This article does not contain any clauses or arguments that would justify the withdrawal from the Convention or that would threaten to harm family values as argued by those who withdrew.

Article 2- Scope of the Convention

1.) This Convention shall apply to all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, which affects women disproportionately.

2.) Parties are encouraged to apply this Convention to all victims of domestic violence. Parties shall pay particular attention to women victims of gender-based violence in implementing the provisions of this Convention.

3.) This Convention shall apply in times of peace and in situations of armed conflict.

According to Article 2, the Convention applies at all times, regardless of peace or conflict, because it seeks to protect female victims of any kind of violence.

Article 3 - Definitions

For the purpose of this Convention:

• “Violence against women” is understood as a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination against women and shall mean all acts of gender-based violence that result in, or are likely to result in, physical, sexual, psychological, or economic harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life;
• “Domestic violence” shall mean all acts of physical, sexual, psychological, or economic violence that occur within the family or domestic unit or between former or current spouses or partners, whether or not the perpetrator shares or has shared the same residence with the victim;
• “Gender” shall mean the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for women and men;
• “Gender-based violence against women” shall mean violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately;
• “Victim” shall mean any natural person who is subject to the conduct specified in points a and b;
• “Women” includes girls under the age of 18.

This Article provides the definitions of the terms such as “Violence against women,” “Domestic violence,” “Gender,” “Gender-based violence against women,” “Victim,” and “Woman.”

Article 4 – Fundamental Rights, Equality, and Non-Discrimination

1.) Parties shall take the necessary legislative and other measures to promote and protect the right for everyone, particularly women, to live free from violence in both the public and the    private sphere.

2.) Parties condemn all forms of discrimination against women and take, without delay, the necessary legislative and other measures to prevent it, in particular by 

• embodying in their national constitutions or other appropriate legislation the principle of equality between women and men and ensuring the practical realization of this principle;
• prohibiting discrimination against women, including through the use of sanctions, where appropriate;
• abolishing laws and practices which discriminate against women.

3.) The implementation of the provisions of this Convention by the Parties, in particular measures to protect the rights of victims, shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, gender, race, color, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth, sexual orientation, gender identity,     age, state of health, disability, marital status, migrant or refugee status, or other status.

4.) Special measures that are necessary to prevent and protect women from gender-based violence shall not be considered discrimination under the terms of this Convention.

This Article has been arranged in such a civilized and humanistic way that we see that this Convention will protect the right of all humanity to live free from violence, notably by stating “everyone” in the first sentence.

Article 5 – State Obligations and Due Diligence

1.) Parties shall refrain from engaging in any act of violence against women and ensure that State authorities, officials, agents, institutions, and other actors acting on behalf of the State act in conformity with this obligation.

2.) Parties shall take the necessary legislative and other measures to exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate, punish, and provide reparation for acts of violence covered by the scope of this Convention that are perpetrated by non-State actors.

Here, it is mentioned that states that are parties to this Convention will carry out their obligations to prevent violence against women meticulously.

Article 6 – Gender-Sensitive Policies

Parties shall undertake to include a gender perspective in the implementation and evaluation of the impact of the provisions of this Convention and to promote and effectively implement policies of equality between women and men and the empowerment of women.

It appears that the purpose of this Article is to ensure equality between women and men and to empower women in society.

Chapter II – Integrated Policies and Data Collection

Article 7 – Comprehensive and Coordinated Policies

1.) Parties shall take the necessary legislative and other measures to adopt and implement statewide effective, comprehensive and coordinated policies encompassing all relevant measures to prevent and combat all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention and offer a holistic response to violence against women.

2.) Parties shall ensure that policies referred to in paragraph 1 place the rights of the victim at the center of all measures and are implemented by way of effective co-operation among all relevant agencies, institutions, and organizations.

3.) Measures taken pursuant to this article shall involve, where appropriate, all relevant actors, such as government agencies, the national, regional, and local parliaments and authorities, national human rights institutions, and civil society organizations.

This Article says that the state parties will act in a holistic approach to prevent violence all over the world.

Article 8 – Financial Resources

Parties shall allocate appropriate financial and human resources for the adequate implementation of integrated policies, measures and programs to prevent and combat all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention, including those carried out by non-governmental organizations and civil society.

This Article says that the state parties will provide the necessary financial and human resources to prevent violence. This is, after all, the necessity of being a social state. Nothing in this Article requires the Convention to be canceled.

Article 9 – Non-Governmental Organizations and Civil Society

Parties shall recognize, encourage and support, at all levels, the work of relevant non-governmental organizations and of civil society active in combating violence against women and establish effective co-operation with these organizations.

This Article, as the other Articles mentioned above, has no element in contradiction with the Turkish family structure; the Article mentions the obligation of the state parties to work in cooperation with non-governmental organizations that combat violence against women and to support these organizations. Our country has non-governmental organizations that combat violence against women, doing serious and excellent work on this issue. Especially the Purple Roof Women’s Shelter Foundation (Mor Çatı Kadın Sığınağı Vakfı) is one of them. Greetings and love from here to the secret heroes who have contributed to combating violence against women. I thank them for their hard work. I am more than glad that they exist! In fact, the state has an indispensable obligation to support these non-governmental organizations. Once again, this Article emphasizes the importance of this obligation.

Article 10 – Coordinating Body

1) Parties shall designate or establish one or more official bodies responsible for the co-ordination, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies and measures to prevent and combat all forms of violence covered by this Convention. These bodies shall co-ordinate the collection of data as referred to in Article 11, analyze and disseminate its results.

2) Parties shall ensure that the bodies designated or established pursuant to this article receive information of a general nature on measures taken pursuant to Chapter VIII.

3) Parties shall ensure that the bodies designated or established pursuant to this article shall have the capacity to communicate directly and foster relations with their counterparts in other Parties.

This Article explains the obligations given to the state parties regarding the establishment and coordination of institutions that will work to prevent violence against women.

Article 11 – Data Collection and Research

1) For the purpose of the implementation of this Convention, Parties shall undertake to

• collect disaggregated relevant statistical data at regular intervals on cases of all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention;
• support research in the field of all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention in order to study its root causes and effects, incidences, and conviction rates, as well as the efficacy of measures taken to implement this Convention.

2) Parties shall endeavor to conduct population-based surveys at regular intervals to assess the prevalence of and trends in all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention.

3) Parties shall provide the group of experts, as referred to in Article 66 of this Convention, with the information collected pursuant to this article in order to stimulate international co-operation and enable international benchmarking.

4) Parties shall ensure that the information collected pursuant to this article is available to the public.

This Article says that the state parties will take an active role in the investigation of the root causes and effects of the violence and ensure that these investigations are publicly accessible.

Chapter III – Prevention

Article 12 – General Obligations

1) Parties shall take the necessary measures to promote changes in the social and cultural patterns of behavior of women and men with a view to eradicating prejudices, customs, traditions, and all other practices that are based on the idea of the inferiority of women or on stereotyped roles for women and men.

2) Parties shall take the necessary legislative and other measures to prevent all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention by any natural or legal person.

3) Any measures taken pursuant to this chapter shall take into account and address the specific needs of persons made vulnerable by particular circumstances and shall place the human rights of all victims at their center.

4) Parties shall take the necessary measures to encourage all members of society, especially men and boys, to contribute actively to preventing all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention.

5) Parties shall ensure that culture, custom, religion, tradition, or so-called honor shall not be considered as justification for any acts of violence covered by the scope of this Convention.

6) Parties shall take the necessary measures to promote programs and activities for the empowerment of women.

What a humane Article—I can say that this one is my favorite. They aimed to block and eliminate anything and everything we call bigotry. I hope the new generation grows up with this perspective.

Article 13 – Awareness-Raising

1) Parties shall promote or conduct, on a regular basis and at all levels, awareness-raising campaigns or programs, including in co-operation with national human rights institutions and equality bodies, civil society, and non-governmental organizations, especially women’s organizations, where appropriate, to increase awareness and understanding among the general public of the different manifestations of all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention, their consequences on children, and the need to prevent such violence.

2) Parties shall ensure the wide dissemination among the general public of information on measures available to prevent acts of violence covered by the scope of this Convention.

The trauma caused by violence against their mothers in front of their eyes is enormous for children. There have been many instances of this type of incidents in our country. According to this Article, studies should be conducted to raise public awareness of this issue. In any case, the state has to look out for the children's best interests.

Article 14 – Education

1) Parties shall take, where appropriate, the necessary steps to include teaching material on issues such as equality between women and men, non-stereotyped gender roles, mutual respect, non-violent conflict resolution in interpersonal relationships, gender-based violence against women and the right to personal integrity, adapted to the evolving capacity of learners, in formal curricula and at all levels of education.

2) Parties shall take the necessary steps to promote the principles referred to in paragraph 1 in informal educational facilities, as well as in sports, cultural and leisure facilities, and the media.

Article 15 – Training of Professionals

1) Parties shall provide or strengthen appropriate training for the relevant professionals dealing with victims or perpetrators of all acts of violence covered by the scope of this Convention, on the prevention and detection of such violence, equality between women and men, the needs and rights of victims, as well as on how to prevent secondary victimization.

2) Parties shall encourage that the training referred to in paragraph 1 includes training on co- ordinated multi-agency co-operation to allow for a comprehensive and appropriate handling of referrals in cases of violence covered by the scope of this Convention.

Article 16 – Preventive Intervention and Treatment Programs

1) Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to set up or support programs aimed at teaching perpetrators of domestic violence to adopt non-violent behavior in interpersonal relationships with a view to preventing further violence and changing violent behavioral patterns.

2) Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to set up or support treatment programs aimed at preventing perpetrators, in particular sex offenders, from re-offending.

3) In taking the measures referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, Parties shall ensure that the safety of, support for, and the human rights of victims are of primary concern and that, where appropriate, these programs are set up and implemented in close co-ordination with specialist support services for victims.

As you are aware, the implementation of this Article is critical for our country.

Article 17 – Participation of the Private Sector and the Media

1) Parties shall encourage the private sector, the information and communication technology sector and the media, with due respect for freedom of expression and their independence, to participate in the elaboration and implementation of policies and to set guidelines and self- regulatory standards to prevent violence against women and to enhance respect for their dignity.

2) Parties shall develop and promote, in co-operation with private sector actors, skills among children, parents and educators on how to deal with the information and communications environment that provides access to degrading content of a sexual or violent nature which might be harmful.

It is the media that has the largest impact on the public's perception. As part of preventing violence against women and promoting women's dignity, this Article discusses how to work together with the media to deal with sexual and degrading violent content.

Chapter IV – Protection and Support

Article 18 – General Obligations

1) Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to protect all victims from any further acts of violence.

2) Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures, in accordance with internal law, to ensure that there are appropriate mechanisms to provide for effective co-operation between all relevant state agencies, including the judiciary, public prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, local and regional authorities as well as non-governmental organizations and other relevant organizations and entities, in protecting and supporting victims and witnesses of all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention, including by referring to general and specialist support services as detailed in Articles 20 and 22 of this Convention.

3) Parties shall ensure that measures taken pursuant to this chapter shall

• be based on a gendered understanding of violence against women and domestic violence and shall focus on the human rights and safety of the victim;
• be based on an integrated approach which takes into account the relationship between victims, perpetrators, children and their wider social environment;
• aim at avoiding secondary victimization;
• aim at the empowerment and economic independence of women victims of violence;
• allow, where appropriate, for a range of protection and support services to be located on the same premises;
• address the specific needs of vulnerable persons, including child victims, and be made available to them.

4) The provision of services shall not depend on the victim’s willingness to press charges or testify against any perpetrator.

5) Parties shall take the appropriate measures to provide consular and other protection and support to their nationals and other victims entitled to such protection in accordance with their obligations under international law.

This is a wonderful Article about protecting and supporting victims that notes all state institutions' active role in this regard. We wish that not only institutions of the state, but also humanity as a whole would act with the same awareness and sensitivity against all forms of violence.

Article 19 – Information

Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that victims receive adequate and timely information on available support services and legal measures in a language they understand.

It seems that this article aims to provide victims with information about the services they can access and the steps put in place to prevent violence. In this way, the victim of violence will know what measures have been taken and will feel protected by the state, thereby reducing trauma and fear that the victim experiences. Unfortunately, in our country, we see women posting on social media that they want to live or are afraid of dying and ask for help. Therefore, the state's support is crucial. The state stands up for every individual who is subjected to violence, regardless of gender or age. It takes action against the perpetrator in order to discourage people with a tendency to use violence.

Article 20 – General Support Services

1) Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that victims have access to services facilitating their recovery from violence. These measures should include, when necessary, services such as legal and psychological counselling, financial assistance, housing, education, training, and assistance in finding employment.

2) Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that victims have access to health care and social services and that services are adequately resourced and professionals are trained to assist victims and refer them to the appropriate services.

A social state, as stated in this Article and some others, should provide support services to victims of violence. All social law states should assume these responsibilities, as I said.

Article 21 – Assistance in Individual/Collective Complaints

Parties shall ensure that victims have information on and access to applicable regional and international individual/collective complaints mechanisms. Parties shall promote the provision of sensitive and knowledgeable assistance to victims in presenting any such complaints.

This Article mentions that victims of violence have the right to file a complaint and which institutions of the state they can file this complaint with. It is, once again, one of the requirements of being a social state.

Article 22 – Specialist Support Services

1) Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to provide or arrange for, in an adequate geographical distribution, immediate, short- and long-term specialist support services to any victim subjected to any of the acts of violence covered by the scope of this Convention.

2) Parties shall provide or arrange for specialist women’s support services to all women victims of violence and their children.

This Article is very useful; the victims of violence need expert support to help them overcome their trauma. It is important to do this immediately; especially victims of sexual violence may incline to commit suicide. Therefore, this Article is a must, like many of the above.

Article 23 – Shelters

Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to provide for the setting-up of appropriate, easily accessible shelters in sufficient numbers to provide safe accommodation for and to reach out pro-actively to victims, especially women and their children.

This Article was drafted in a clear and concise manner; ensuring adequate and easily accessible shelters for women and children fleeing violence is already one of the obligations of the state.

Article 24 – Telephone Helplines

Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to set up state-wide round-the- clock (24/7) telephone helplines free of charge to provide advice to callers, confidentially or with due regard for their anonymity, in relation to all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention.

In our country, 24/7 emergency support services are provided for the victims of violence on the phone lines 183, 0212 656 96 96, and 0549 656 96 96; so this Article is already implemented.

Article 25 – Support for Victims of Sexual Violence

Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to provide for the setting up of appropriate, easily accessible rape crisis or sexual violence referral centers for victims in sufficient numbers to provide for medical and forensic examination, trauma support, and counselling for victims.

I mentioned this above. Unfortunately, it is very common for victims of sexual violence to feel depressed and incline to commit suicide; therefore, these victims need serious expert support.

Article 26 – Protection and Support for Child Witnesses

1) Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that in the provision of protection and support services to victims, due account is taken of the rights and needs of child witnesses of all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention.

2) Measures taken pursuant to this article shall include age-appropriate psychosocial counselling for child witnesses of all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention and shall give due regard to the best interests of the child.

I have lost count of the children who witnessed the death of their mother in the hands of their father. It's heartbreaking to see those kids go without their parents; they need them more than anything else. However, one of them ends up in the grave and the other in prison. The child remains all alone, in a vulnerable state. As for children who have undergone trauma, I am not sure if they can overcome them. The purpose of this Article is precisely to address this issue.

Article 27 – Reporting

Parties shall take the necessary measures to encourage any person witness to the commission of acts of violence covered by the scope of this Convention or who has reasonable grounds to believe that such an act may be committed, or that further acts of violence are to be expected, to report this to the competent organizations or authorities.

Because of our conscientious responsibility, we should say stop to injustice anyway, right? We must put ourselves in the shoes of the victims of violence, regardless of whether they are women, men, or children. We should not just pass by neglectfully with the perspective of “let sleeping dogs lie.” As soon as we witness such a thing, we must call the police and ask them to come to the scene urgently. Then, until the police arrive, we must talk the parties out of such violence or calm them. If the violence continues, we should specifically state that the police have been informed, and if there are people around us, we should try to neutralize the perpetrator (without exercising any violence). Later, we should tell the authorities what we have seen and help the victim as a witness in order to protect the victim and to make the perpetrator receive the punishment he deserves and to prevent him from repeating the violence. Remember, the perpetrator is alone, but we are not. If we all approach with the same point of view and stand against violence, we will prevent violence together.

This Article regulates the encouragement by the state of witnesses of violence to report this to the authorities.

Article 28 – Reporting by Professionals

Parties shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the confidentiality rules imposed by internal law on certain professionals do not constitute an obstacle to the possibility, under appropriate conditions, of their reporting to the competent organizations or authorities if they have reasonable grounds to believe that a serious act of violence covered by the scope of this Convention, has been committed and further serious acts of violence are to be expected.

This Article states that if the professional staff and professional groups have reasonable grounds for the occurrence and continuity of violence, the state will take measures to enable them to notify the competent authorities about this situation. This is already applied in our country. If there is violence, you do not necessarily have to be among the professional staff to report the situation to the competent authorities. If any citizen witnesses any violence, they can call 155 and report it, and it is even the primary duty of every citizen to report it. Because when you know the violence and keep silent, it means that if the victim dies, then you are considered to have left her to die. With this consciousness, let us say, “STOP” to violence altogether.

Concluding Remarks

The “Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence,” or also known as the “Istanbul Convention,” consists of 12 chapters and 81 Articles. In order to show that the Convention does not actually contain any Article in contradiction with Turkish family culture, I have interpreted the Articles comprising the first four chapters of the Convention.

To interpret the Convention in general:

• Although the name of the convention is “Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence,” Article 4 of the Convention states that “Parties shall take the necessary legislative and other measures to promote and protect the right for everyone, particularly women, to live free from violence in both the public and the private sphere.” Therefore, it is aimed in the Convention to protect the victim of violence, regardless of whether they are men, women, or children.
• It was mentioned that all institutions of the state should take the necessary precautions to actively help the victims of violence and provide trainings on this subject while raising the awareness of victims.

As can be seen, the Istanbul Convention has been prepared with a rather humanist perspective; there is not a single word in the Convention that could harm the Turkish family culture or our traditions. There is no reason to justify the withdrawal from the international convention that emphasizes the equality of men and women and aims to protect victims of violence. I did not come across a single word in the Convention that would require the urgent withdrawal from the Convention in the middle of the night, and that would otherwise cause irreparable damages.

Since the Istanbul Convention is an international convention and international conventions have the force of law in accordance with Article 90 of our Constitution, it is not a Convention that can be arbitrarily withdrawn from in the middle of the night. Just as you need to submit it to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) for the annulment of a law, it is similarly necessary to obtain approval from the TBMM for the termination of an international convention that has the force of law. Such a termination is a great disrespect to the will of both the TBMM and the people. The Istanbul Convention is designed to prevent violence not only against women, but also against all humanity, and it has the characteristics of fundamental rights and freedoms that have been acquired since 2011. Fundamental rights and freedoms may not be regulated by a decree issued at midnight as per Article 104 of our Constitution, nor can they be abolished by a decree. This so-called withdrawal is against the Constitution and the International Law; and in fact, it is invalid. Moreover, as the procedure for termination of the Convention was not followed, no application was made to the Secretariat General of the Council of Europe. In other words, the Convention is still in force.

For those who believe the Convention violates our customs, traditions, and family values, I ask: In what part of our tradition is there a rule allowing violence against women? Those who seek an excuse to belittle women and regards the empowerment of women as a danger, seeks to humiliate women even by exploiting our family values, customs, and traditions in their own way. This mentality tries to subdue women and imprison them in their own homes. However, it should always be remembered that these women would raise the next generation. The future generations of Turkey is in the hands of the beautiful women of this country.

I call out to the mentality that tries to normalize violence against women: it seems that you were so worried about where the contemporary lifestyle will lead Turkish women that you could not sleep at night, and thus you said we would rather withdraw from the Istanbul Convention. You cannot do everything you want and take our democratic rights away from us cursorily. We grew up reading the principles and revolutions of our beloved Atatürk and the history of the founding principles of the Republic that liberated women and set an example to the whole world. We will continue our struggle to carry them to the future with the same determination. We will not give up on our democracy.

Dear judges and prosecutors of the Courts of the Republic of Turkey: as you can see, the Convention is still in effect. Our duty as lawyers is to demand from the courts the implementation of international conventions that have the force of law in accordance with Article 90 of our Constitution and the protection of victims of violence. Your duty is to ensure that these conventions and laws are implemented by citing these conventions as a legal basis for your decision. It's your turn now. Together, let's protect the victims of violence.

As a woman and a lawyer, I will never give up my fight for the Istanbul Convention. Through this article, I also address the members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, who represent the will of the people. You should also not give up. To withdraw from the Istanbul Convention is to consider violence normal, to accept it, to view it as possible. In other words, it means denying security and safety to the person who has experienced violence. Together, let's put an end to the perpetrator. By remaining silent against violence, we leave the victim to die alone, to watch her die in silence. Every evening, we watch a news report about violence against women. There is a rightful due; we are all responsible for it.

I am calling on the media actors. Make no news that normalizes violence against women anymore. What happened to people caring about their partners in this country? Our desire now is to see the news of beautiful people who respect, care for, and love their partners. Let them serve as an example for the next generation.

The women's court has a huge responsibility as well. It is a fact that women are strong, ambitious, and smart. They will never give up on their dreams. I wish to live in a world where women are treated with love, compassion, and without psychological violence. With children we raise, we will change the future. Those we raise will be upright individuals who treat others with love and compassion.

If you would like the author to comment on the rest of the Articles of the Istanbul Convention, you can send an e-mail to avukat@gozdehukuk.com.tr. In addition, Gözde Serbest Law and Consultancy firm works actively for female victims of violence. If you come across a victim of violence, you can reach the author and her colleagues through the above email address or at +90 216 350 03 43.