Turkey’s decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, a landmark 2011 treaty designed to protect women from domestic violence, sent the wrong signal to Europe and to the women of Turkey, a German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.
“Neither cultural nor religious or other national traditions can serve as an excuse for ignoring violence against women,” the spokeswoman said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pulled Turkey out of the accord, the government said on Saturday, prompting criticism from those who said it was necessary to tackle rising domestic violence.
No reason was provided for the withdrawal in the Official Gazette, where it was announced in the early hours on Saturday. But top government officials said domestic law rather than outside fixes would protect women’s rights.
Turkey signed the accord in 2011 but femicide has surged in the country in recent years.
Marija Pejcinovic Buric, secretary general of the 47-nation Council of Europe, called Turkey’s decision “devastating”.
“This move is a huge setback ... and all the more deplorable because it compromises the protection of women in Turkey, across Europe and beyond,” she said.
Many conservatives in Turkey and in Erdogan’s AKP say the pact undermines family structures, encouraging violence.
