About a month ago, you may have noticed a trend where female celebrities posted black and white selfies with the hashtag #ChallengeAccepted. This social media campaign began in wake of the disappearance and brutal murder of Pınar Gültekin, a 27-year old woman. Its true intention, however, was lost as its popularity grew. The hashtag was originally meant to raise awareness for the hundreds of thousands of women, women like Gültekin, who are victims of femicide, specifically in Turkey.
474 women were murdered just last year in Turkey; most of whom were murdered by a relative or significant other. That number is expected to grow exponentially with every year that passes by. Violence against women isn’t uncommon in the country, and men who are found guilty are rarely met with the appropriate consequences. Only hollow promises have been offered in response to Turkey’s high femicide rates. Women have been protesting against these injustices, but have been met with unlawful arrests and brute force from the police.
A solution was presented in 2011: a treaty known as the Istanbul Convention was signed. The treaty would prevent and combat domestic violence against women. Even so, the Istanbul Convention is rarely enforced. This is no surprise, seeing that powerful lobby groups have been advocating against it because they say it threatens “traditional family values.” In addition, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is notorious for his misogyny. This month, Erdoğan and his party met to discuss withdrawing from the convention. Withdrawal potentially puts the rights and lives of the women of Turkey at risk.
Ways to Help
Petitions:
Click here to sign a petition focused on protecting the Istanbul Convention.
Click here to sign a petition in support of the ban for the law that will legalize child marriages between an abuser and victim.
Click here to sign a petition that stands against giving men (who are guilty of abuse) an abatement due to good conduct.
Click here to sign a petition that calls for the implementation of life sentences for those found guilty of femicide.
Click here to sign a petition that demands justice for Elif Aydın, a woman murdered by her ex-husband.
Click here to sign a petition that demands justice for Emine Bulut, a woman murdered by her ex-husband in front of her child.
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Sources
Written by: Abigail Mirambel
Edited by: Leslie Chen & Paige Inocencio