The Turkish Epidemic

Epidemics break out every year. To many they mean disease and sickness, but to the women in Turkey, it means domestic violence. Violence against women is a public and private societal norm in this country. In fact, about 40% of females will experience some type of abuse or violence in their lifetime. That is almost 1 in every 2 women. In contrast, the probability here in the United States is 1 in 4, which is still high, but double what it is in Turkey. Domestic violence in Turkey has grown into an epidemic that is having little resistance.

From 2003- 2010, the amount of murders of women skyrocketed up 1,400 percent. This rise happened right after the Islamist AKP political party took over. The party stems from the Islamic religion, and therefore practices highly conservative values. Some of these values made the country lean towards having it’s women being second class citizens. In the courts, a woman’s testimony has half the validity and worth of a man’s. This makes it extremely hard for women to take their abuse cases to court. Once it even gets to court, the punishment for the perpetrator is given on a case by case basis and is at the discretion of the judge. Because of these two factors, the punishments fluctuate and are not set in stone. A man could get away with murder or be set free to abuse again and again.  

The violence most often comes from the and of a husband, father, brother, or other male family member. Men are seen as the head of the house and what they say goes. So it is not surprising that the most severe cases of violence, including murder, occur when a woman indicates that she wants a divorce. This want and need would bring dishonor to her family, causing hostility and anger. Social image is an important part of Eastern culture that our Western one does not have. Individual actions mirror and reflect their entire family. This honor system is taken extremely far, as seen by honor killings.

(A video further explaining the idea of honor)

The honor system and second class females are just two things that are accepted in Turkey’s culture. If a woman is seen or heard being beaten in the middle of her neighborhood or in public, people turn the other way. They will listen but not act, then go on about their lives once it is over. Society has accepted domestic abuse as something that has and always will happen. It is normal.

However, even though it is extremely bad and the violence is only rising, there are groups that are starting to fight back. In early 2014, the Kadin Partisi (Women’s Party) was founded. This political party works towards putting women in places of power. One problem with the domestic violence is the government's acceptance of it. With women holding governmental power, their voices can be heard to change the countrywide opinion about the hushed topic. In addition to the party, social media is playing a role in helping the cause. The more an issue is talked about, the better the chances are of their being a change. Media outlets and news reporters are starting to pay more attention to the growing problem and throwing it to a worldwide scale. These two things, a new political party and expanding exposure, can help the women of Turkey stop the domestic violence epidemic and bring peace to the country.