Turkey records at least 31 femicides, 22 suspicious deaths in June

Jul 03 2022 

At least 31 women have been murdered in Turkey in June, with another 22 dying under suspicious circumstances, according to advocacy group We Will Stop Femicides.

The group’s June report found that the most murders were committed in megacity Istanbul, followed by northern Zonguldak and capital Ankara. Women were murdered in at least 21 provinces.

Ten women were murdered by their husbands, seven by their boyfriends, two by their former boyfriends, and one by her ex-husband. Another woman was killed by her son, while four more were killed by their fathers. Three women were killed by an acquaintance, and one was killed by a relative.

Some 74 percent of the women were killed in their homes. Two women were killed on the street, one by a secluded roadside, and one in an open field.

Eleven of the 31 women were murdered for either wanting a divorce, refusing to reconcile with a partner, rejecting a proposal, or refusing to date a man.

Seventeen women were killed by firearms and six others by knives. Four women were strangled, while one was beaten to death and another burned.

In five of the 31 murders, the women were killed alongside their children.

Forty percent of the women were between the ages of 36 and 65, while another 19 percent were 25 to 35 years old.

Since Turkey left the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on July 1 last year, losing one of its most significant tools to combat violence against women, at least 259 women have been murdered by men while another 239 were found dead under suspicious circumstances, the group said.

Several groups in Turkey keep their own tallies on violence against women as Turkish authorities do not make public statistics on domestic violence crimes.