Violence against women continues to increase with each passing day. In January 2026 alone, 22 women lost their lives due to male violence. In Istanbul, six women were killed in a single day under similar circumstances.
Although the government’s indifference to these policies of violence against women and statements that appear to support male violence have drawn strong public criticism, the authorities continue to maintain the same stance.
Şükran Demir, Chair of the Women’s Time Association (Kadın Zamanı Derneği), spoke to ANF about the problems women face in Turkey.
Demir stated that women are trapped in a cycle of inequality, discrimination, and violence, emphasizing that women face many challenges. She said: “As we approach March 8, women are once again trying to survive by struggling against the deepening injustices they face in many areas, including inequality, discrimination, violence, security concerns, economic difficulties, and invisible labor. We are still at the very beginning of 2026, yet we wake up almost every day to news of femicides and violence against women. It feels as if the country is constantly moving backward. We are living with the reality of a country that cannot progress in terms of human rights and women’s rights.”
Demir also emphasized that women continue to resist these conditions and strengthen one another through solidarity. She added: “Of course women are struggling against this. They resist in various ways and use all their strength to stand beside one another and empower each other. But this is not enough, because we are fighting against a male-dominated reality that has deeply embedded itself in homes, schools, streets, and workplaces, and that becomes stronger every day. In the face of this terrifying reality, where six women can be killed in a single day, we encounter pressure every day to remain silent.
We frequently come together to discuss how we can struggle and how this struggle can lead to better outcomes. One of the most important days that strengthens this solidarity is March 8. Women are moving toward March 8 with faith in this solidarity and resistance.”
Countless women have no security of life and their labor remains unseen
Şükran Demir stated that countless women live without security of life, cannot access education in their mother tongue, and have their labor ignored.
Demir said: “There are countless women who have no security of life, who still cannot access the right to education or the right to education in their mother tongue, and who cannot receive the support they are entitled to from the mechanisms they apply to. There are women whose labor is not recognized and who are forced to struggle for equal pay for equal work. That is why we cannot speak of equality in any field or at any moment within this system.
Moreover, women’s struggle today is no longer about becoming equal to the dominant man within this order. On the contrary, women are struggling to build a free life by going beyond the reality of a man who, within this system, is not even aware of his own reality, who is exploited to the core, and who is shaped to exploit those he considers ‘beneath’ him. Against this system that imposes war, exploitation, and slavery, women are raising their voices and expressing their resistance as they move toward March 8.”
We are an association providing support in Turkish and Kurdish
Şükran Demir stated that because the Women’s Time Association operates in a metropolis like Istanbul, they encounter the deepened forms of the problems they describe.
Demir said: “As the Women’s Time Association since we are based in Istanbul, we encounter these problems in much deeper forms. We are talking about a very large city, and the problems and complexities of this city are equally large. Of course, this situation affects women the most. For example, the most distinctive feature that sets us apart from other organizations in Istanbul is that we are a women’s association that provides multilingual support, particularly in Kurdish and Turkish.
Therefore, the issue we encounter most frequently is the language barrier. Today, countless Kurdish women live in Istanbul. Their problems can of course be categorized under the same headings as those faced by other women. However, when it comes to coping with these problems and receiving support, the issue evolves into another dimension for Kurdish women or women who speak a different language.
For instance, when the risk of violence arises or when they are subjected to violence, even if mechanisms that these women can use are theoretically available, the language barrier creates a very high possibility that they will not be able to access these mechanisms.”
The same problems exist wherever male dominance prevails
Şükran Demir said that providing multilingual services in many areas of life is a priority for the association and continued: “At this point, of course, our priority is that these mechanisms provide multilingual services. Municipalities and other service points do not implement this. Today there are 39 districts in Istanbul, and the number of municipalities that provide Kurdish-language support is very small. This clearly shows how large the problem is.
Yes, women experience similar problems in the home or outside the home, in every space where male dominance exists. However, differences can emerge when it comes to solutions. One of the points where these differences arise is language. Even in applications made by women who know the official language, problems occur due to the male perspective within these mechanisms. In fact, we receive feedback indicating that there are sometimes conscious or unconscious attempts that cause those women to relive the environment of violence they have experienced.”
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