EU and US call on Turkey to preserve women’s rights treaty

The European Union and the United States call on Turkey to uphold the women’s rights treaty that President Erdogan has denounced. ,Violence against women is unacceptable. Women deserve protection through strong legislation”, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen commented on Twitter.

The White House calls the Turkish withdrawal ‘deeply disappointing’. President Joe Biden speaks in a statement of ‘a discouraging step backwards for the international movement to end violence against women worldwide’. He points to the increase in domestic violence in the world and reports that feminicide is more frequent in Turkey. ,, Violence against women hurts us all, and we all need to do more to create societies in which women can live freely without violence.”

EU foreign chief Josep Borrell also urges Turkey to reverse the decision. He deeply regrets the denunciation and says he does not understand the decision. Minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok joins the call. He also deplores the Turkish withdrawal and calls the Treaty ‘ an important instrument to tackle violence against women and domestic violence’.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has decided without debate in the Turkish parliament to cancel the so-called Istanbul Convention. The treaty was drawn up in 2011 in the Turkish city. Erdogan was prime minister at the time. The objectives are to prevent domestic violence, to improve the protection of victims and to end the impunity of perpetrators.

The Conservative Government of Turkey believes that the country should promote women’s rights in its own way. Turkey does not have to ‘imitate others’, vice president Fuat Oktay explained the decision.

There is also opposition in Turkey itself. The centre-left opposition reacted furiously and thousands of people took to the streets to express their displeasure. The Council of Europe, which initiated the convention, is also disappointed by the decision of the Turkish president. The council, not to be confused with the EU, promotes human rights through treaties and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Turkey is also a member of the organization.