In Turkey, at least 420 women were victims of femicide in 2025, with another 508 women dying under suspicious circumstances, according to a report published on Friday by the Center for Socio-Political Field Studies (SAMER) based in Amed (tr. Diyarbakır). The study is based on media reports from the period January 1 to December 31, 2025.
In addition to lethal violence, SAMER documented a large number of other attacks against women and children. According to the report, 662 women were physically assaulted or injured, 1,089 women were forced into sex work, 130 women were harassed, and at least 25 women were raped. In addition, 96 women were threatened or insulted. The number of minors affected is particularly alarming: 170 children were victims of sexual abuse.
Age structure of those affected
According to the report, the age of the victims is unknown in more than half of the cases. 58.3 percent of those affected could not be classified by age. Of the known cases, 12.5 percent involved children and adolescents between the ages of 0 and 17, four percent involved the 18 to 24 age group, another 6.3 percent involved 25 to 34-year-olds, 5.9 percent involved 35 to 44-year-olds, 3.7 percent involved 45 to 54-year-olds, 2.7 percent involved those aged 55 to 64, and four percent involved women over 65. Children accounted for 2.6 percent of all recorded cases of violence.
Perpetrators unknown in most cases
According to SAMER, the low clearance rate is striking. In 60.1 percent of cases, the perpetrator was not identified. In the remaining cases, the perpetrators were predominantly people from the social environment of the victims:
* 10.1 percent of perpetrators were the husband,
* 2.8 percent were ex-husbands,
* 2.3 percent were partners in the process of separation,
* 2.1 percent were former or current partners.
In addition, 5.2 percent of the crimes were committed by unknown persons, 3.1 percent by acquaintances, and 2.9 percent by relatives.
Regional hotspots
SAMER recorded significant regional hotspots. Fifteen percent of reported femicides occurred in Istanbul, followed by Adana (6.4 percent) and Izmir (5.2 percent). Istanbul also leads in terms of sexual offenses with 28 percent of rapes registered. Adana, Ankara, and Eskisehir follow with around eight percent each. In cases of child sexual abuse, 26.5 percent occurred in Istanbul, followed by Zonguldak (8.8 percent), Mersin (7.6 percent), and Şırnak (7.1 percent).
SAMER points out that the actual figures could be significantly higher, as many cases of violence against women and children are not reported or covered by the media. The organization calls for more comprehensive protective measures, more consistent prosecution, and transparent government statistics on gender-based violence.
Significant deviations from other statistics
The figures from SAMER are significantly higher than those from other surveys. The platform “We Will Stop Femicide” (KCDP) counted a total of 264 femicides between January and November 2025, which is over 150 cases fewer than the 420 killings of women recorded by SAMER for the whole year. Both organizations also record suspicious deaths separately, i.e., cases in which gender-based killing is suspected but not clearly proven. In this category, too, SAMER, with 508 cases, is well above the figures reported by KCDP, which recorded a total of 269 suspicious deaths of women in the first eleven months of last year.
Indispensable sources
The difference is likely to be related to different research strategies, access to regional sources, and varying assessment criteria for classification as femicide. While KCDP focuses primarily on verifiable, publicly known cases with clear identification of perpetrators, SAMER uses a broader definition grid and systematically evaluates incidents that receive less media attention in the region. Human rights organizations have long criticized the lack of official, transparent, and gender-differentiated data from Turkish authorities. Independent surveys are therefore considered an indispensable source for highlighting gender-based violence.