WUNRN
Turkey – Parliamentary Commission on Violence Against Women Commences Work
By Umut
ErdemANKARA
January 16, 2015 - A parliamentary commission
investigating the reasons for violence against women has convened for the first
time, during which recommendations on who to listen to for consultations were
given.
Members and associations of the LGBTI community
were also among those recommended for consultation.
During the first meeting of the commission,
deputies from ruling and the opposition parties agreed that violence against
women is an issue "above politics."
Hasret Kara and Arzu Boztaş were among those
present for consultation on the first day of the commission's work. Kara was
stabbed 43 times by a screwdriver by her husband, from whom she had demanded a
divorce. Boztaş, who was a child-bride at the age of 15 and is the mother of
six children, lost one of her legs after being shot in both of her legs and
arms by her husband, also after demanding a divorce.
Along with NGOs working on women’s issues, NGOs
working with the LGBTI community, such as LGBTI, KAOSGL, “Pembe Hayat” (Pink
Life) and “Kırmızı Şemsiye” (Red Umbrella), were among the groups also
recommended for consulation.
Violence against women is a major social problem
in Turkey, where many women have been murdered by their husbands, lovers, or family
members.
Since the Law on the Protection of Family and
the Prevention of Violence against Women was adopted in early 2012, almost 700
women have been killed in Turkey. Some 217 women were murdered in 2012, 189
were murdered in 2013, and 287 were murdered in only the first 10 months of
2014.
The problem in Turkey is not only common among
uneducated families, but also among women with higher education degrees. A
recent survey conducted by the Business Against Domestic Violence-BADV project
revealed that 75 percent of female respondents who work in white-collar jobs
and are university graduates said they were exposed to violence, either
physical or verbal, at least once in their lives.