420 Women Killed in Turkey Last Year

According to data provided by the Federation of Women’s Associations of Turkey, perpetrators in 159 of these cases were family members.

Among the victims, 101 women were either in the process of divorce or separation.

“The fact that 19 women were murdered in what we perceive as the safest spaces — our homes — truly underscores the severity of the issue,” remarked the federation’s president, Canan Güllü.

In 2023, the number of women murdered stood at 438, marking a grim continuity in the trend.

Recent data from the Turkish Statistical Institute reveals that approximately 56 percent of women in Turkey do not feel safe walking alone at night.

[HH] IDs of over 1,100 women changed

In an extraordinary measure, the personal identities of over 1,100 women were altered to shield them from potential perpetrators. 

A total of 1,103 women underwent identity changes, ranging from their names and places of residence to employment details and even their children’s school records, effectively severing ties with their former lives.

“This is the pinnacle of protective measures — the zenith,” said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya during a visit by the parliamentary commission investigating violence against women.

“Every trace of these women’s lives, including their names, professions and affiliations, has been changed. To preserve their lives.”

For a small subset of these women, their identities had to be altered once again after their new identities were discovered by assailants, he said.

“When violence cannot be thwarted by other means, identity alteration becomes the last resort,” said Sibel Özdemir, the chief of the police’s department on domestic violence.

Source: HDN