According to several reports, Turkey has withdrawn from an international agreement aimed at protecting women from violence.
Turkey has left the Istanbul Convention, Bloomberg News reported, referring to a decision published in the country’s Official Gazette. The Convention is a treaty of the Council of Europe intended to prevent violence and domestic abuse of women.
The convention has a total of 46 signatories website, including 45 countries and the European Union. Turkey signed the convention in 2011 and ratified it in 2012.
The Council of Europe Secretary-General Marija Pejčinović Burić said in a statement that the Istanbul Convention covers 34 European countries and is widely regarded as the gold standard in international efforts to protect women and girls from the violence they experience every day in our societies. ”
“This move is a huge setback for these efforts and all the more regrettable because it jeopardizes the protection of women in Turkey, across Europe and beyond,” Burić said.
The notice in the Official Gazette gave no reason why Turkey had left the convention. But, Reuters reported that it divided the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family.
Conservatives in Turkey also believe that the agreement undermines family structures and that non-discrimination based on sexual orientation promotes homosexuality, Reuters said.
United Nations Office in Turkey said in a statement that he was’ deeply concerned ‘about Turkey’s decision, adding that it called on Turkey to’ continue to protect and promote the security and rights of all women and girls, inter alia by committing itself to the Istanbul fully implement the Convention. ‘