The government's negotiation of women's rights before every election and the language it uses cost women’s lives. While the Yeniden Refah Party and the Hüda-Par, with which the AKP-MHP government formed an alliance in the last general elections, targeted Law No. 6284, AKP members also stated that various changes should be made in the law. In the run-up to the general elections, the right to alimony was also brought up for discussion. Yılmaz Tunç, who was the Minister of Justice in the government formed after the elections, pointed to the Constitutional amendment against women's gains and said: "We will write the Civil Code from scratch." Minister Tunç pointed out especially alimony and stated that various changes would be made in these articles. Using women's gains as an "election promise" has also increased attacks against women.

 

WOMEN ARE TARGET BEFORE ELECTION

 

While this situation is reflected in the statistics, 5 thousand 76 calls were received to the Domestic Violence Emergency Helpline between January 1, 2023 and January 1, 2024. While 1,190 of these calls were newly registered data, 761 of the violence cases were domestic violence and 498 were spousal violence reports. 190 calls were requests for shelter.

 

While the picture was the same in other election years, 2,424 searches were made in 2014, when local elections were held, and this number was 1,960 a year ago in 2013. Again, while 1,698 calls came to the line in 2018, before the 2019 local elections, this number increased to 2,573 in the election year 2019.

 

On the other hand, according to the data of the We Will Stop Femicide Platform (KCDP), 21 women were murdered and 23 suspicious deaths occurred in April 2023, when the last general election process took place, 40 women were murdered in May, 22 suspicious deaths, and 22 women were murdered and 27 suspicious deaths occurred in June. . While the termination of the Istanbul Convention and statements targeting women's gains during the election period caused an increase in deaths during this period, a similar increase was experienced in other election periods.

 

VIOLENCE RATES IN THE YEARS WHERE ELECTIONS WERE HELD

 

In the March 2014 local elections, 91 women were murdered between January and April. During the June 2015 elections, when the AKP government was shaken, 204 women were murdered between May and December. After the elections in June were repeated by the AKP, femicide began to rise in the period leading up to the November elections, showing direct proportion with the state of violence in the country. During the 2018 general elections, 143 women were murdered between April and July. During the March 2019 local elections, 137 women were murdered between January and April.

 

8 WOMEN WERE MURDERED IN ONE DAY: THIS IS NOT A WAR!

 

KCDP Women's Assemblies Izmir Representative Tülin Osmanoğulları pointed out that 8 women were killed on February 27 alone and said: "This is not a war, not an earthquake, not a natural disaster or a traffic accident. Women are killed because they made decisions about their lives." 

Pointing out that attacks have increased due to the misogynistic policies of the government, Osmanoğulları drew attention to the targeting of women, especially before the elections. Osmanoğulları said: "Last May 2023 was the month in which the most women were killed. Let's remember what happened in May? There was an election. Again, it is the eve of an election and again, we see discussions targeting women. 'Holy family' discourses, under the name of 'Turkey's century'. "Law workshops and requests to change the Civil Code increase attacks against women."

 

'AKP CREATING CHAOS THROUGH WOMEN'

 

Adding that the AKP is pursuing a policy that takes advantage of chaos, Osmanoğulları said: "In May last year, it created this chaos through women. It turned women's lives into a bargain. It opened law 6284 to discussion. Whenever women's rights are brought up for discussion, women pay with their lives. Once again, We are in the election period. AKP and its partners are once again encouraging murderers of women with their misogynist policies. As a result of these policies, 8 women are killed every day. On the other hand, the entire opposition is focused on the elections. 8 women were murdered in 1 day, we did not see a loud reaction. When we look at it, women are supporting each other again. They are holding this system to account. We will continue to hold them to account."

 

'SOCIAL STRUGGLE AGAINST WOMEN CRIME'

 

DEM Party Izmir Women's Assembly Spokesperson Aysel Onen stated that the government created itself by attacking women, children and minorities and said: "It also does politics through women. By abolishing the Istanbul Convention, opening the Civil Code to discussion, appointing imams to schools. It is trying to produce politics by achieving reconciliation in this way."

 

Adding that it was not a coincidence that there were attacks on women and their rights before the election, Onen said: "The government constantly uses masculine language. It feeds the language of violence. It does not protect women who want protection and leaves them to die. This strengthens men, violence and deaths increase. There is a massacre, but there is no deterrent punishment for this massacre. Men can murder women and then get acquitted. The perpetrators kill women more easily because they know they will not be punished."

 

Onen said that the policy of impunity caused the crime against women to grow and stated that there must be a social reaction and struggle against these attacks. 

 

MA / Semra Turan