Complicity in the massacre of women: the one-man termination of the Istanbul Convention

The Istanbul Convention, which obliges the state to protect women against all forms of violence and which Turkey prides itself on being the first signatories, was terminated by a Presidential Decree published in the Official Gazette at midnight on March 20, 2021.

The treaty, which has been under attack by religious communities and sects for a long time with the green light from the government, was also mentioned regularly by AKP spokesmen as of July 2020. The women's movement responded strongly with street protests, public information and campaigns. In the country where violence against women is at its peak, the murders of women, which no agenda can cover up, are increasing day by day, while the government's rhetoric and attitudes that not only watch the massacre of women, but also publicly legitimize them, have caused the reaction of the society to rise, and the steps towards the dissolution of the Istanbul Convention, which gives the state important obligations to prevent violence against women, were caught up in the reaction of the wider public.

The controversy over Turkey's exit from the treaty was made as if it had been put aside in August, but attacks have continued at every turn since. Terminating the treaty was opposed by 64 percent of Turkish society clearly according to surveys, and it was a declaration that the lives of millions of women and the common will of millions could be sacrificed for the survival of one man! Same as with the closure of the HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party), which millions of people voted for.

So why was the Istanbul Convention important? Because the convention gives the state concrete duties on all forms and aspects of violence against women, attributes the basis of violence on unequal power relations between men and women, and states that preventing violence can be possible by ensuring equality in all areas. It contains clear statements against discrimination of sexual identity and sexual orientation, holding the government responsible for protecting the most basic vital rights of LGBTI people. It is necessary to make all laws and practices with this understanding and to ensure that those who do not are held accountable. This kind of approach is very dangerous for those who condemn men and women to a dependent relationship in which they cannot be equal because of their "nature" and who want to put women at the disposal of men and put the "family" at the disposal of the system on the unequal relationships between men and women. The reason for attacks on the Istanbul Convention was to attack the right to equality and equal existence of women and LGBTI people, and the termination of the convention is a public attack on women's rights to equality, especially 18 days after the human rights action plan was announced.

The one-man administration, which has been trying to eliminate the concept of "rights" for a long time, which sees all the demands for "right" that it does not consider to be in accordance with its beliefs and understanding as a kind of threat, has demonstrated that for 18 years it has completely ignored the demands for right to life, which has been withdrawn for women almost to the point of "we do not want to die" by legally regulating and arbitrarily withdrawing the basic rights of women in all areas of life. The one-man administration has demonstrated that all rights written on paper can be eliminated in a flash with this decision as it is normalized to see women "incomplete" in all areas from working life to marriage relations, as discrimination and inequality in everyday life grows, as the woman who is abused is punished almost more than the perpetrator, as poverty increases, and as it’s become clear the government favours the rich and the bosses.

It did this despite the fact that it’s not possible to exit international conventions via a presidential decree, and that it can only terminate the contract, which was unanimously adopted in the parliament, by the decision of the parliament. By ignoring the will of the parliament once again; by tearing apart an issue clearly contained in the constitution and laws with the decision of the president.

TRUTH LEAKED FROM #GÜÇLÜKADINGÜÇLÜTÜRKİYE

When the backstage information of this decision began to spread in the evening, the interview given by The President's Head of Communications Fahrettin Altun to the Aksam newspaper was circulated under the hashtag "#GüçlüKadınGüçlüTürkiye". As if at the push of a button, images that were clearly from the same hand as this label was shared and social media posts were made about how much the AKP government and Erdogan cared about and valued women. Because they know that with the termination of the contract, they would have declared that they do not value the lives, rights, wills and decisions of women. They wanted to this to be preemptive. But among the troll posts on social media, the reality of ruling party AKP’s Turkey was crystal clear: when the"#GüçlüKadınGüçlüTürkiye" posts were trending on Twitter, some women who wanted to make their voices heard about poverty, unemployment and hunger started posting using the same hashtag in case others might see their needs.

Besides this, there was another fact; the reality of the determination of women and LGBTI organizations, who are all standing together until late at night to learn the decision, not to give up their rights and lives...

Just after 2:00 a.m., when the verdict was announced, the women announced during the day that they did not recognize the decision and called for action. Women will be on the streets all over the country today. We do not give up our rights and lives, we do not take a step back from our request for the Istanbul Convention to be implemented. By once again passing on the ancient knowledge that rights will be implemented in life, not on paper...