Turkey quits Istanbul Convention on violence against women

Turkey has withdrawn from an international accord designed to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence, the country's official gazette said Saturday, reported Xinhua.

The Council of Europe accord, better known as the Istanbul Convention, was opened for signature in Turkey's Istanbul Province on May 11, 2011. Turkey was the first among 45 countries and the European Union to ratify the accord.

"Combating violence against women is a human rights struggle for us. With this understanding, we continue with determination to protect the dignity of our people, family, and social fabric together with all our institutions," Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said in a statement, without explaining the reason for the withdrawal.

Turkey had been debating a possible pullout from the accord as the country's Islamist ruling party officials and ultraconservative part of the society argued that it encourages divorce and undermines the traditional family, and that its references to equality pave the way for the recognition of LGBT groups.

As local human rights groups say violence against women is on the rise Turkey, several activist groups gathered across the country to protest the move.

At least 409 women were killed in 2020 and 77 have been killed since the beginning of 2021 in Turkey, according to the We Will Stop Femicide Platform, a women's non-governmental organization.