Turkish Citizens Want The Istanbul Convention Renounced and Why Is That?
Why are we furious with our women? The women who speak up, the women who are in search of their rights, the women who want a life of equality. The women of sorrow, hardships, and abuse. Why do we hit our women, rape our women, take advantage of our women? The women who have birthed us, the women who have fed us, the women who have clothed us, the women who have loved us. Millions of women have been manipulated by men into thinking they deserve to be treated the way they are being treated and into thinking they are second class citizens in the eyes of God and the government. We have turned a blind eye to the issue for too long and now the Istanbul Convention is under the threat of renouncement in Turkey.
The Istanbul Convention, a domestic violence treaty proposed by the Council of Europe, was first opened for signature in Istanbul, Turkey on 11 May 2011. Turkey was the first country to ratify the convention and the convention has since been signed and ratified by 34 countries, and signed without ratification by 12 countries. The legally binding document came into force on 1 August 2014. The convention’s purpose is to criminalize domestic violence against women (the term includes children under 18 years of age). The acts of psychological violence, physical violence, sexual violence, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and more are included in the list of acts to be criminalized. The treaty has formed a group of experts called GREVIO (Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence) to monitor the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the countries that have ratified it. This convention has set the golden standard in European countries against domestic violence. The recent murders of women and the increasing numbers of reported abuse in Turkey have helped to put the Istanbul convention on the table again. The deputies of Turkey’s leading party AKP (Justice and Development Party) have stated that the Istanbul Convention is a threat to the traditions, values, virtues, and the family structure of Turkey. The president Tayyip Erdogan had a meeting with the Central Execution Board of AKP on 15 July 2020. The meeting’s main topic was the Istanbul Convention; according to the obtained information, Erdogan has stated that reservations should be made to the controversial articles or Turkey should renounce the convention.
The renouncement has been on the agenda of Turkish male politicians for a long while due to the complaints of the misinformed public. Istanbul Convention’s negative effects on the honor and the integrity of the family structure are being discussed and it seems that actions on the renouncement will be taken soon. Critics are saying that the convention is against the Turkish public’s values and honor of a woman under God’s judgment should be preserved. Is it up to us? Is it really up to us to question someone’s honor; is it really up to us to question someone’s integrity; is it really up to us to question someone’s decency? The bond between a human being and their god is sacred and is it really up to us to persecute someone because WE think their bond is corrupted? I am asking the men who love having a say in women’s policies: Is it up to you?
According to the research center MetroPOLL’s survey, 17 percent of Turkish citizens agree that the Istanbul Convention should be renounced and 19.4 percent of the citizens have no standing point on the matter. A large portion of Turkish citizens have a distorted perception of what the Istanbul Convention is about. Some believe the convention has caused a decrease in the number of marriages and an increase in the number of divorces. According to TÜİK’s (Turkey Statistics Organization) statistics, there is a specific pattern in the numbers of marriage and divorce in the 2001–2019 period. This clearly shows that the pattern is unrelated to the convention. Another concern for the Turkish public is that the Istanbul Convention glorifies the LGBTQ+ community and its members. This is due to the 4th Article of the convention which prohibits discrimination against minorities, disabilities, gender identity, sexual orientation, and many more reasons one would be discriminated against for when the convention is being implemented. This article is being taken out of context by the Turkish media and publications, the article is now seen as a glorification of LGBTQ+. It is important to remind ourselves that this convention is a domestic violence treaty and every citizen of Turkey has the right to be protected against violence, no matter their sexual identities. This is no issue of glorifying or supporting LGBTQ+ members, this is an issue of giving our citizens equal protection, the protection the Constitution provides them with. Article 17 of the Turkish Constitution states: Everyone has the right to live and to protect and improve their material and moral existence. Regarding this article, every Turkish citizen has the right to live, including the LGBTQ+ community in Turkey. To renounce the Istanbul Convention because of this reason would be considered unconstitutional.
As a female in Turkey, I can surely say that the Istanbul Convention is absolutely indispensable to the progress being made in women’s rights in Turkey and Europe. In my short life of 18 years, I have been subject to abuse, harassment, and insults. I was a little girl when they told me my skirt was too short; I was a little girl when they told me to sit down like a lady; I was a little girl when I was forced to let everyone kiss me on the cheeks, and I was a little girl when I was told it was rude to say no. I was told that my body was not mine. I was a teenager when I was insulted for my body; I was a teenager when they looked at my body. I was told to play along to not get hurt. I am now an adult, a woman who has woken up, and I have no intention to listen anymore. To listen to the people who think my body is theirs to control and to the people who think I will sit down quietly and comply with what they think. As women who are done listening, we must stand up, speak up, and ask ourselves: Will we comply?
