Women in Istanbul rally against women's rights treaty exit

Members of women’s rights, LGBT groups, political parties and trade bodies gathered in Istanbul’s Maltepe district on Saturday to protest against a government decision to withdraw from an international treaty to combat violence against women, BirGün newspaper reported.

The rally titled “We won’t give up on the Istanbul Convention’’ arrives ahead of the formalisation of Ankara’s exit from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention, via an executive order signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on March 19.

Turkey’s withdrawal from the convention - widely considered the most powerful global compact to combat violence against women - sparked heavy criticism from Western allies and protests across the country. Turkey was among the first signatories of the landmark document that was agreed in Istanbul in May 2011.

Hundreds of protesters on Saturday chanted slogans, including, “We will stop femicides,’’ “You will never walk alone,’’ “Withdraw the decision, implement the convention,’’ “Women will live as equals,’’ as representatives of women’s rights groups delivered speeches, Sözcü newspaper reported.

Haklarımızı elimizden almaya çalışanlara karşı burdayız!

Boşuna demedik: Asla yalnız yürümeyeceksin!#Vazgeçmiyoruz pic.twitter.com/BOyTr8Zip4

— Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu (@KadinCinayeti) June 19, 2021

The Istanbul chairwoman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Canan Kaftancıoğlu is among those attending the rally,  BirGün said.

The Istanbul Convention calls for signatory states to ensure the implementation of the convention with no discrimination based on a number of characteristics, including sex, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, with Ankara saying the latter two were being used to “normalise homosexuality” and undermine Turkish family values.

Turkey’s exit from the treaty will be finalised on July 1, when women across the country are set to hold another protest, according to BirGün.