Turkish women rally against rising violence targeting them

ISTANBUL, Turkey – Dozens of women protested in Istanbul on Saturday, September 28, to denounce rising violence against women and the government’s failure to stop brutal attacks across the country.

They gathered in the Kadikoy neighbourhood on the Asian side of Istanbul, recounting harrowing stories of women recently murdered across the country, including Emine Bulut, whose killing by her ex-husband in August sparked outrage. 

“Stop the murder of women!”, “Stop male violence!” and “Do not watch violence, do something,” they shouted. (READ: Women not equal to men – Turkey’s Erdogan)

Bulut’s murder in front of her daughter sent shockwaves across Turkey after a video of the attack was published online. 

The 38-year-old was stabbed to death in a cafe on August 18 by her former husband in the central Anatolian city of Kirikkale. Bulut, who had divorced him 4 years ago, died in hospital.

Her name was a worldwide trending topic on Twitter and “I don’t want to die” (#olmekistemiyorum) was widely quoted on social media.

“The murder of Emine Bulut sparked frustration and resentment in society. Her last words are ringing in all women’s ears: I don’t want to die,” Gamze Ozturk, one of the organizers, told Agence France-Presse. 

“There are increasing numbers of women being murdered and none of them wanted to die,” she said.

A total of 294 women were murdered onky in the first 8 months of 2019 – 40 of them in August alone, while 440 women were killed last year, according to the women’s rights group We Will Stop Femicide,  which has been tracking gender-related deaths. (READ: Turkey’s Erdogan says ‘women are above all mothers’)

“We will be out on the streets to protect women’s rights until no single woman is killed,” protester Bircan Sahin told Agence France-Presse. 

Turkey has ratified the Council of Europe’s 2011 Istanbul Convention on preventing domestic violence – but activists say more needs to be done to put the laws into practice.