Thousands of women took to the streets in Turkey on Saturday to make a fist against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision. He announced last week that Turkey is withdrawing from an international women’s rights treaty that protects women from domestic violence.
38 percent of Turkish women are victims of violence in a relationship, according to health organization WHO, more than in Europe where that percentage is 25. When the treaty was concluded in 2011, Turkey was one of the first countries to sign the so-called Istanbul Convention.
Yet Erdogan has now left the treaty behind. Conservative criticisms that the accord promotes gender equality and thus homosexuality. Erdogan’s decision sparked protests in Istanbul where thousands of women gathered.
Amnesty International also criticizes the Turkish government for this move. “This is a disaster for millions of women and children in the country,” said Turkish director Ece Unver. She therefore calls on the government to reverse the decision.
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