Seven Women Killed In One Day In Domestic Violence Across Turkey

Seven women are reported to have died as victims of domestic violence in a single day in Turkey, according to local media.

All the victims died either at the hands of their partners or ex-partners, reported television station Habertürk.

"In total, seven women were savagely killed in İzmir, Bursa, Sakarya, Erzurum, Denizli, and Istanbul," stated Habertürk.

The victims, aged between 32 and 49, suffered fatal injuries from gunshot wounds or stabbing. Three of the assailants chose to end their own lives, two were apprehended, and one, wounded during detainment, succumbed later.

The circumstances surrounding the seventh assailant, who had escaped prison to fatally harm his wife, remain unclear.

According to the broadcaster, "The suspects were either their current spouses, or spouses from whom they were separated," further emphasizing the close relation between the perpetrators and victims. The names of the victims, along with their photographs, were displayed on the station's website.

In 2023, women's rights NGO ‘We Will Stop Femicide’ documented 315 cases of femicide, with 65% of the victims murdered within their own homes. Additionally, feminist groups have attributed 248 cases of "suspicious deaths," initially labelled as suicides by authorities, to third-party involvement, highlighting the concerning trend of defenestration incidents in Turkey.

Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention in 2021, an international treaty aimed at preventing and combating violence against women, has raised criticism. The convention mandated authorities to investigate and penalize violence against women.

"In 15 years, the only year when the number of femicides decreased was in 2011, the year which the Istanbul Convention was adopted," remarked the NGO.

Furthermore, a lawsuit filed against We Will Stop Femicide by the Istanbul prosecutor in 2022, alleging "immoral activities," was dismissed last September.

In Iran, a woman dies at the hands of her husband or other family member on average every four days according to findings reported last year.