Turkey withdraws from Istanbul conference to fight violence towards ladies

Turkey withdraws from Istanbul convention to combat violence against women

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The move has sent shockwaves through a country that has been reeling from high-profile domestic violence cases and femicides.

It is unclear why Erdogan made the decision to pull out of the convention. Turkish women’s rights defenders have protested against the withdrawal, while some conservatives argue it harms traditional family values.

The public debate around the convention peaked in August when religious and conservative groups began an intense lobbying effort against the convention, lambasting it for degrading family values and advocating for the LGBTQ community.

Erdogan’s cabinet came out to assure people that the withdrawal from the convention will not mean backsliding on regulations around domestic violence and women’s rights. “The guarantee of women’s rights are present in our current laws and especially in our constitution. Our judicial system is dynamic and strong enough to implement new regulations as needed,” the Family and Social Policies Minister Zehra Zumrut Selcuk…

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