Turkey withdrew from an international agreement aimed at protecting women from violence, according to several reports.
Turkey abandoned the Istanbul Convention, Bloomberg News he reported, citing a decree published in the Nation’s Official Gazette. The convention is a Council of Europe treaty aimed at preventing violence and domestic abuse against women.
According to its convention, 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 he said in a statement that the 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 face every day in our societies. ”
“This move is a huge setback in these efforts and even more deplorable because it compromises the protection of women in Turkey, across Europe and beyond,” Burić said.
The notice in the Official Gazette did not provide any reason for Turkey to abandon the convention. Despite this, Reuters reported which divided the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family.
Conservatives in Turkey also said the deal undermined family structures and that their non-discrimination based on sexual orientation favored homosexuality, Reuters noted.
The United Nations office in Turkey he said in a statement that he was “deeply concerned” by Turkey’s decision, and added that he urged Turkey to “continue to protect and promote the safety and rights of all women and girls, including maintaining its commitment to the full implementation of the Convention”. Istanbul “.