Either way, it came at a ‘terrible time’, said Nigar Goksel, Turkey’s biggest expert on the International Crisis Group, especially because of the recent withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention.
According to data collected by UN Women, the United Nations agency for women’s rights, 38 percent of Turkish women experience violence from their partner at least once in their lifetime, and more than one in ten have been subjected to domestic violence in the past twelve months. . In the 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, an annual review by the World Economic Forum dealing with economics, politics, education and health, Turkey was 133 out of 156 countries.
The protocol failed during Tuesday’s meeting at a crucial time in Turkey’s relations with the European Union.
In recent months, Turkey has emphasized the desire to improve relations with the bloc and revive its accession process. The meeting was intended to build momentum in a relationship that has been full of disagreements over the past few years on issues such as migration, maritime borders and customs arrangements.
“Whatever the protocol side realizes, the incident clearly underscores the fact that Turkey was blind to the optics of what it would look like,” he said. Lesser of the German Marshall Fund said. These optics, he added, “will only emphasize the sense that Europe is not on the same page when it comes to values, in terms of diversity, inclusion and gender equality.”
The point was not lost on the offending party.
Mrs. “Von der Leyen” seized the opportunity to insist on issues concerning women’s rights in general and the Istanbul Convention in particular, “he said. Mamer, her spokeswoman, said. “It would certainly have been discussed anyway, but it obviously sharpened her focus on the matter.”
Matina Stevis-Gridneff reported from Brussels, and Carlotta Gall from Istanbul. Monika Pronczuk reporting from Brussels contributed.