Since 1 January 2025, 383 women have been murdered by men across Kurdistan and Turkey. According to data from the Equality for Women Platform (ESIK), an average of three women are murdered by men every day in the country. In the past week alone, four women, who were subjected to violence, were in the process of divorce, or wanted to separate, were deprived of their right to life by the men they were trying to leave, despite being under protection orders. In a country where restraining or protection orders are not implemented and women are therefore left without protection, women who do not trust law enforcement and the judiciary are increasingly distancing themselves from reporting mechanisms. Such cases continue to rise day by day, and Derya Yıldırım, a Board Member of the Diyarbakır (Amed) Bar Association, said that femicides would decrease if existing laws were implemented, and pointed out that the legal decisions remain only on paper.
Yıldırım said, “This situation is not the result of individual mistakes, but a demonstration of the state’s structural responsibility. The fact that a woman cannot be protected despite submitting complaint petitions multiple times cannot be explained by a single act of negligence; this is the outcome of a policy.” Yıldırım listed the effective steps that must be taken both in the judiciary and within law enforcement and underscored that the increase in femicides is the result of a system that fails to protect women’s right to life. She stressed that women are murdered at the moment they believe they have obtained protection orders because the gaps within the system leave them unprotected.
Derya Yıldırım stressed that women have been demanding the implementation of protection orders for years, yet these orders are often not enforced. Yıldırım said: “When protection orders are not implemented, femicides are committed more easily. Because there is no system that protects women. Deficiencies in the electronic ankle bracelet system cost women their lives. At one point, there was talk about electronic bracelets, but today, because there are not enough bracelets, the decisions cannot be implemented. In fact, there are perpetrators who can comfortably leave their homes even though they are wearing a bracelet. Unfortunately, there are also women who have been murdered under these circumstances.”
Yıldırım underlined that the state is not fulfilling its structural responsibility and drew attention to the severe consequences caused by withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention and said: “The termination of the Istanbul Convention is not only giving up on a text, but giving up on a guarantee that protects women’s right to life. This decision created the perception among perpetrators that ‘even the state no longer protects women.’ If the state abandons the laws that protect women, then the perpetrator sees himself as free to do whatever he wants.”
Protection orders are not effectively implemented
Derya Yıldırım said that the unjust provocation and good behaviour sentence reductions in femicide cases must be abolished. Yıldırım said: “The laws look very good on paper, but they are not implemented. Protection orders are also not effectively implemented. Failures in implementation leave women unprotected. A fifteen-day restraining order is issued, but it is not clear how this will be enforced. The woman is told, ‘If he approaches, call us.’ If I am going to call, then why is a restraining order issued? This situation emboldens men while damaging women’s trust in justice.”
Women are losing trust in the justice system
Yıldırım said that women do not receive adequate support from the security forces and stated: “When a woman who is subjected to violence goes to the police, she is met with the response, ‘this is a family matter, go back home.’ In this situation, the woman loses all her trust. Going to the courthouse becomes meaningless. The protection orders that are issued are also not implemented effectively. Women are not called, there are no law enforcement officers around them, risk analysis is not conducted.”
Written responses do not protect women
Yıldırım said that women therefore prefer to remain silent and added: “All the responses they receive from every institution they ask for help from are written. Women cannot be protected with written responses. There is no practical implementation, and the police officer, judge or prosecutor who does not implement the protection order must be held accountable for why they did not enforce it. If accountability becomes obligatory, implementation becomes more effective. There must absolutely be no sentence reductions in femicide cases. The state must not turn its impunity policy into a habit.”
Effective results can be achieved when laws are implemented
Yıldırım said that instead of new legislation, the solution lies in the effective implementation of the existing laws. She said: “When the existing laws are implemented, effective results can be achieved. The statute of limitations in femicide cases must be removed, and criminal sanctions must be imposed on officials who fail to implement the law. The Istanbul Convention must be reinstated. This would demonstrate that the state is taking a serious step towards protecting women.”
Gender equality education is essential
Yıldırım also stated that femicides should be considered within the scope of crimes against humanity and suggested that gender equality training should be made compulsory for judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers. She said: “If members of the judiciary receive gender equality education, they will better understand whose lives they are costing. As the bar association, we have even introduced mandatory training on domestic violence during internship programmes. Society must now also take a step forward on this issue.”