According to data from the We Will Stop Femicide Platform (KCDP), at least 294 women were killed by men in 2025, while 297 women died under suspicious circumstances. Around 85 percent of the women were killed by close male relatives, and 61 percent were murdered in their own homes.
Since January, 56 women have been killed by men, and six women were murdered in the past two days alone. Women stressed that the sanctification of the family and the erasure of women’s lives have contributed to this violence, underlining that both state policies and the growing pattern of impunity have led to an increase in these killings.
Esra Çiçek Mercan, a member of the Dicle Amed Women’s Platform (DAKAP) and a board member of the Rosa Women’s Association, said that the femicides taking place cannot be reduced to mere numbers. She stated that the policies announced so far have remained inadequate when it comes to protecting women’s right to life.
Mercan said that following the declaration of 2025 as the “Year of the Family,” crimes targeting women and children have increased in particular, and stressed that public reactions must grow through organized collective action.
Mercan said, “After 2025 was declared the ‘Year of the Family,’ the process was presented to the public as the beginning of a new period shaped through family-centered policies. However, the femicides and cases of violence against women experienced during this period raise the question of whether the policies announced are sufficient to protect women’s right to life.”
Women are not being protected
Esra Mercan said that women continue to be killed despite protection orders. She noted that the deaths of many women who had protection orders in place and were known by the competent authorities to be at risk raise serious questions about the effectiveness of preventive and protective mechanisms. She said that this situation has made the issues of impunity and deterrence more visible. Mercan said, “For women, the overall picture has reached a point that undermines the sense of security and increases social anxiety. It should be questioned on what social reality the discourse of the ‘Year of the Family’ is being constructed.”
Awareness-raising efforts must be increased
Esra Mercan said that it is a serious problem for family policies to be addressed within a framework that pushes women out of the public sphere and restricts their participation in economic and social life. She said that women’s equal citizenship rights need to be strengthened across many areas, from working life to social policies. Mercan said, “We carry out awareness-raising activities by coming together with women on the types of violence, ways of protection, and mechanisms of solidarity. Creating awareness in even one person is extremely valuable in terms of social transformation.”
Mechanisms are not being implemented
Esra Mercan said that violence against women cannot be treated as isolated incidents. She said, “This issue is not confined to the private sphere; it is a public and structural problem. It is critical not only that those who are subjected to violence are able to access complaints and appeal mechanisms, but also that those who witness such acts assume responsibility. The armed threats and attacks that have recently come to the public’s attention clearly show the scale of the danger.”
Esra Mercan also drew attention to existing legal regulations. Mercan also said: “Law No. 6284 must be implemented effectively. Protection orders must be followed up meticulously, and deterrent sanctions must be strengthened. Demands for Turkey to become a party to the Istanbul Convention again are also being voiced strongly in the public sphere. Social sanctions and collective response mechanisms play an important role in preventing the normalization of violence.”
The killing of women is not just a set of data
Esra Mercan also criticized the reduction of femicides to statistical figures. Mercan also added: “The loss of hundreds of women’s lives over the course of a year is not an ordinary data point. Each one represents a separate life and a separate story. The normalization of these losses weakens social sensitivity. The right to life is the most fundamental human right, and protecting it is the state’s primary obligation. Combating violence against women requires both the strengthening of public policies and the raising of social awareness. Otherwise, we will continue to face a reality in which women’s lives are not adequately protected.”
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