Femicide, the Biggest Problem of a Society by Barış Sardoğan

Women and girls around the world are facing numerous problems from gender gaps to sexism. Being  a country connecting Asia and Europe, Turkey battles with a range of issues. The women in my  country feel the heavy weight of both cultural and geographical themes and the difficulties of  modern life. However, the biggest challenge facing them today is a life-threatening problem;  femicide. 

First of all, we need to name the problem this brings the question “What is femicide?”. We can  define femicide as the murder of women only because of their gender. Several studies from around  the world shows that femicide is on the increase in every part of the world. Femicide victims are  usually killed by their partners and family members. These women are usually exposed to physical,  sexual, emotional, and economic abuse. When it comes to Turkey things are quite similar. Turkish  society inherited the cultural heritage of the Middle East. Most femicides are referred to “Honour Killings”. In some parts of the country women are still not equal to men and women without children  are deficient. The Turkish feminist group ‘We Will Stop Femicide’ prepared a report which proves  that 474 women were murdered in Turkey in 2019. A study conducted by Sage Journals reported that %42 of Turkish women experienced sexual or physical abuse from their relatives or partners in 2009. Apart from being killed and suffered by their families, the whole society is affected by the ongoing  femicides. Almost every day, abuse about women killed by their partners or relatives are on social  media.  

Secondly, we should study the reasons. Patriarchy is one of the main reasons of the issue. Men in the  country believe that they have the right to make decisions for the women and force them to do  things they do not want to. In some cultural groups women are seen as men’s servants. The other reason is cultural themes. Boys and girls are treated differently while growing up. Girls are taught to  help house chores, serve their parents, and spend most of their life in their house. On the other  hand, boys are encouraged to go out, they have right to speak for themselves, and they usually do  not share errands at home. Their early childhood experiences continue to their adulthood, and they  have completely different roles in society. Women do not have the right to raise their voice. If they  do, they need to face the results. Another reason is the lack of precautions. The problem is huge, but  the political will is not sufficient and enough. Urgent actions must be taken by both the government and civil society organizations. 

Thirdly, we need to find the ways to stop femicide in Turkey. The first thing we can do is to change  the law system. Turkey adopted “Law No. 6284 Protect Family and Prevent Violence Against Women” in 2012. However, the punishment and the time criminals are convicted to is not enough. Moreover,  women’s empowerment should be supported by the government. Women need to earn enough  money to be independent and to refuse to stay in abusive marriages or relationships. The next  precaution to be taken is the protection of women in danger. Femicide victims are usually threatened  by their ex-husbands or ex-partners beforehand. It needs to be convenient for them to reach police  forces. Another thing is the education of families and children. Men in Turkey should not be seen as  “the ones earning their own crust” and “protectors of women”. There should be education programs  to teach parents treating their children equally and respect human rights. The last precaution to be  taken should be breaking prejudices. Some people in the country think that the reason of the  femicides are women. They believe that a woman wearing a mini skirt deserves sexual abuse, a woman who does not obey her husband deserves to be killed, a family who cannot protect their  daughter can lose her. For instance,iIn 2009, Münever Karabulut was killed by her wealthy boyfriend,  Cem Gariboğlu. Police chef of İstanbul declared that Karabulut’s family could have prevented the  murder if they had taken good care of their daughter.

All in all, Femicide is the most important problem in my country. There are many reasons in our  country which create beauties and beasts. However, this is the real life not a fairy tale. Each and  everyone in the country should take action to stop femicide. Our motto is “Stop violence! Stop  femicide!”.