German State Bans Pupils from Wearing Burqas and Niqabs In Schools
New Age Islam News Bureau
23
Jul 2020
• Arab Women
Festival for Creativity to Honour Saudi journalist Al-Bitar
• Afghan Girl
Who Killed Taliban Gunmen ‘Ready to Fight Again’
• ‘Nameless’
Women of Afghanistan Struggle for Rights
• UN Warns of
Failure to Address Islamic State Women
• SIDF,
Through W20, Strives to Enhance Women’s Role in Industrial Sector
• Eid Al Adha 2020:
Pakistani Woman Cattle Seller Breaks Stereotypes at Karachi Market
• Georges Calls
for Greater Support During International Forum for Women and Sports
• Murder in Turkey
Sparks Outrage Over Rising Violence Against Women
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/german-state-bans-pupils-wearing/d/122448
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German State
Bans Pupils from Wearing Burqas and Niqabs In Schools
Nicky Harley
July 22, 2020
Baden-Württemberg
will now ban full-face coverings for all school children.
----
Germany’s
third-largest state has banned full-face coverings for all schoolchildren.
Baden-Wuerttemberg,
in the south-west of the country, introduced the ruling on Tuesday.
State Premier
Winfried Kretschmann risked a backlash and a legal challenge after other states
were prevented from imposing similar measures.
Mr Kretschmann
said it was rare for pupils to wear burqas but that a ban was still required.
Germany has
been debating veils in schools since February after a court in Hamburg
overturned a ruling by the city’s education authorities to bar a pupil from
wearing one.
The ban will
be in place in primary and secondary schools.
The state’s
Minister of Culture, Susanne Eisenmann, announced in February that she wanted
to introduce a ban after the court ruling in Hamburg because it showed the need
for a “legally watertight regulation” to enforce it.
“The current court decision from Hamburg makes it clear
that a legal basis is required for a ban for reasons of legal certainty,” Ms
Eisenmann said at the time.
“For this reason, we want to quickly amend our school
law.
“Religious freedom also has its limits, specifically at
our schools, when teachers can literally no longer look at each other’s faces.
We do not tolerate full veiling at our schools.”
The Hamburg
court said there was “no legal basis” for the ban.
“The student can claim the unconditionally protected
freedom of belief," it said.
Germany is
divided over the issue, with supporters of a ban claiming it was necessary to
“protect girls”.
Julia
Kloeckner, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, supports
a ban.
But
FilizPolat, a migration policy spokeswoman for the Greens’ parliamentary group,
said people being able to wear religious symbols was a feature of a democratic
society.
Last year, a
YouGov poll found that 54 per cent of respondents in Germany would support a
ban on burqas.
Full-face
veils are banned in the Netherlands, France, Denmark and Austria.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/german-state-bans-pupils-from-wearing-burqas-and-niqabs-in-schools-1.1053242
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Arab
Women Festival for Creativity to Honour Saudi journalist Al-Bitar
July
16,
2020
The
fifth edition of Arab Women Festival for Creativity will honor next Monday
famous Saudi woman news anchor Julnar Al-Bitar with the "Creative Media
Award for 2020".
-----
RIYADH
— The fifth edition of Arab Women Festival for Creativity will honor next
Monday famous Saudi woman news anchor Julnar Al-Bitar with the "Creative
Media Award for 2020".
Al-Bitar
is currently working with Al-Ekhbariya TV channel as a political news anchor.
The
honoring ceremony will be held in the presence of SheikhaSuhaila Al-Sabah, the
guest of honor, Festival Director Dr. Amal Ibrahim, and a number of ministers,
ambassadors, diplomats, academics, businessmen and businesswomen, cultural
figures and media persons.
Dr.
Amal said that Al-Bitar deserves it. The award is in appreciation of her
outstanding contributions as one of the best female television broadcasters and
professionals, and in recognition of her excellent performance in presenting
news and programs.
Al-Bitar
recently presented a working paper on “Digital Transformation and Media
Challenges during COVID-19,” she noted.
On
her part, Al-Bitar said that this honor is considered as an incentive to
continue her work. “This is also an appreciation for the creativity and
excellence among Arab women in general and Saudi women in particular,” she
added.
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/595598/SAUDI-ARABIA/Arab-Women-Festival-for-Creativity-to-honor-Saudi-journalist-Al-Bitar-
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Afghan
girl who killed Taliban gunmen ‘ready to fight again’
July
22,
2020
Qamar
Gul regrets she was unable to say goodbye to her mother and father.
----
GHAZNI:
An Afghan girl who shot dead two Taliban fighters after they gunned down her
parents said Wednesday she was ready to confront any other insurgents who might
try to attack her.
Qamar
Gul, 15,
killed the militants when they stormed her home last week in a village in the
Taywara district of the central province of Ghor.
“I
no longer fear them and I’m ready to fight them again,” Gul told AFP by
telephone from a relative’s home.
It
was about midnight when the Taliban arrived, Gul said, recounting the events of
that night.
She
was asleep in her room with her 12-year-old brother when she heard
the sound of men pushing at the door of their home.
“My
mother ran to stop them but by then they had already broken the door,” Gul
said.
“They
took my father and mother outside and shot them several times. I was
terrified.”
But
moments later, “anger took over,” she said.
“I
picked up the gun we had at home, went to the door and shot them.”
Gul
said her brother helped when one of the insurgents, who appeared to be the
group’s leader, tried to return fire.
“My
brother took the gun from me and hit (shot) him. The fighter ran away injured,
only to return later,” Gul said.
By
then, several villagers and pro-government militiamen had arrived at the house.
The Taliban eventually fled following a lengthy firefight.
Officials
said the Taliban had come to kill Gul’s father, who was the village chief,
because he supported the government.
The
insurgents regularly kill villagers they suspect of being informers for the
government or security forces.
Taywara
district, where Gul’s village is located, is a remote area with sporadic
communication and the scene of near-daily clashes between government forces and
the Taliban.
Gul
said her father had taught her how to shoot an AK-47 assault rifle.
“I
am proud I killed my parents’ murderers,” she said.
“I
killed them because they killed my parents, and also because I knew they would
come for me and my little brother.”
Gul
regrets she was unable to say goodbye to her mother and father.
“After
I killed the two Taliban, I went to talk to my parents, but they were not
breathing,” she said.
“I
feel sad, I could not talk to them one last time.”
Afghans
have flooded social media to praise Gul, and a photo of her wearing a headscarf
and holding an AK-47
has been shared widely.
Hundreds
of people have called on the government to protect Gul and her family.
“I
demand that the president help transfer her to a safe place as her and her
family’s security is at risk,” prominent women’s rights activist and former
lawmaker FawziaKoofi wrote on Facebook.
President
Ashraf Ghani also praised Gul for “defending her family against a ruthless
enemy,” his spokesman SediqSediqqi told AFP.
A
Taliban spokesman has confirmed an operation took place in the area of the
attack, but denied any of the group’s fighters had been killed by a woman.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1708506/world
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‘Nameless’
Women Of Afghanistan Struggle For Rights
July
22,
2020
Shafi
Karimi
NillyKohzad
Afghan
women attend a consultative grand assembly, known as a Loya Jirga, in Kabul.
-----
Ghazal
Sharifi is an Afghan woman and mother of two. But she says her labor pains were
nothing compared to the pain of not being able to legally represent her
children.
In
Afghanistan, women cannot obtain a passport for their children without the
presence of the father. The mother's name isn’t allowed on the child's
identification card, either. Longstanding taboos and fiercely defended societal
restraints deny women the agency to make important decisions for their
children, their families, and themselves in a deeply patriarchal society in
which men are shamed for even mentioning the names of their female relatives.
As
Afghan society makes efforts to advance in regard to gender roles and norms,
many women are questioning the male-dominated power structure currently in
place in the country. But the issue is layered.
MawlawiHamidullahHaidary,
an Islamic scholar, tells Radio Free Afghanistan that “from the point of view
of Islam and Shari’a, there is no problem, but Afghan society does not accept
this, they are not ready to accept this, and it’s seen as shameful.”
Sharifi
says that when she went to the legal offices to register her child’s ID, she
was told she could not use her name. The officials said they would accept the
name of her brother-in-law, or even that of her nephew, but not hers.
"At that moment, I felt so belittled as a mother,”
she told RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan. “I felt that my husband's brother or
nephew had more rights over my own children than I did. I got pregnant and gave
birth, but unfortunately men have the authority to get IDs for their children,
rather than their own mothers.”
Under
Afghan law, the sexism extends much further than IDs. When deciding custody
rights of a child, institutions give preference to the father or grandfathers
rather than the mother.
In
the eyes of Sharifi and many others, this is cruel.
Yet
while the issue has gained a certain amount of traction among progressive
Afghans in recent years, including a 2017 campaign called Where Is My
Name? that sought to eradicate long-standing taboos by generating discussion on
the importance of making women's names and identities visible across all
aspects of society, a larger discussion has been missing due to the powerful
sway of a male-dominated society.
Haidary,
the scholar, says that the Afghan government has bigger issues requiring its
attention, such as widespread corruption. “Focusing on small issues like a
woman's name does not solve our bigger problems,” he said.
But
for Naheed Farid, a member of the Afghan Parliament, the issue is an important
starting point in ensuring women gain their due rights and should be a top
priority for a society that is attempting to reshape itself.
“When
the names of fathers and grandfathers are mentioned in ID cards and the names
of mothers are not, this alone is an act of violence against women,” she said.
“It's important to have a meaningful presence of women in society, not just in
legal documents but also for their right to work, get an education, and acquire
other basic rights.”
Members
of the Where is My Name? campaign are encouraged that after three years of
fighting for women’s rights to identities, the issue has now reached the doors
of the Afghan Parliament. It will be on the public agenda when the parliament
reconvenes in September.
Young
parliament members like Farid are ready to vote for a positive change in the
constitution, paving the way for Afghan women to be recognized in official and
legal documents.
Since
the fall of the Taliban in 2001, Afghan women have regained
many of the rights that were previously off limits to them. But despite being
able to work and vote, many must still deal with the conditions of a
patriarchal system that holds back on allowing them to be equal citizens.
https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/nameless-women-of-afghanistan-struggle-for-rights/30741800.html
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UN
Warns of Failure to Address Islamic State Women
By
Jeff Seldin
July
22,
2020
WASHINGTON/PENTAGON
- Efforts to deliver an enduring defeat to the Islamic State may be in danger
because of difficulties with bringing the terror group’s members and associates
who are women to justice.
New
analysis from the United Nations’ Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive
Directorate [CTED] issued Wednesday described the situation as dire, warning
too few of these IS women are being held to account, as many countries have
been reluctant to repatriate them.
“Women
are the demographic group with the lowest overall rate of return from the
conflict zone in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic,” according to the CTED
report, based on a study of 80 U.N. member states.
“Within
judicial systems, there is an urgent need for training and capacity-building on
gender-sensitive approaches to investigations and prosecutions,” the report
added.
Exactly
how many women members of IS have been prosecuted or could be charged with
crimes is difficult to say.
The
CTED analysis said for many U.N. member states, “accurate information on the
fate of women returnees was either unavailable or only partially available.”
Lack
of repatriation
Many
Western countries have consistently refused to take
back anyone who traveled to join the
Islamic State’s
self-declared caliphate.
Countries
like Britain, Germany, Denmark, Australia and Indonesia, among others, have
even gone as far as to strip nationals who traveled to join IS of their
citizenship.
And
repatriations of IS-linked women that have taken place have been piecemeal.
One
study, by the London-based International Centre for the Study of
Radicalization, estimated that by July 2019, perhaps as few as 609 women who had traveled to join
IS had returned to their countries of origin.
At
the same time, based on U.S. estimates, as many as 18,000 IS-affiliated women continued
to languish in displaced-persons camps like the al-Hol camp in northeastern
Syria, including 2,000 women who have renounced their previous
citizenship.
Pleas
by U.S. officials, as well as by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, for
those women to be repatriated have largely been ignored.
Obstacles
to collecting criminal evidence
And
some analysts fear the longer they stay there, the harder it will be to ensure
any of them answer for potential crimes.
“It
becomes harder and harder to gather that evidence,” said Devorah Margolin, a
senior research fellow with George Washington University’s Program on
Extremism.
“People
become less cooperative,” she said. “Or memories aren’t as strong as they were
when incidents first happened.”
And
researchers like Margolin and those with CTED note that when it comes to IS,
there is already a huge discrepancy in available evidence. While IS readily
documented violence carried out by male fighters in its videos and other
propaganda material, it rarely showed women in similar situations.
“There’s
a very big division of the sexes, and part of that, specifically for a group
like the Islamic State, is a removal of women from images,” Margolin said.
“That's
not to say that under the Islamic State that there weren’t atrocities also
carried out by women,” she added. “We know that women were part of the morality
police, policing other women, and also part of the female sex trade of female
slaves.”
Further
complicating matters, the U.N. researchers found not all countries are even
willing to consider the possibility that some of the IS women need to face
justice.
"The tendency to view women as passive followers of
their husbands continues to prevail,” the CTED analysis found. “[That],
together with evidentiary challenges, contributes to low rates of conviction
and/or shorter or suspended sentences."
The
report found, in Western Europe and North America in particular, women linked
to the terror group were likely to get more lenient sentences than IS-linked
men.
Others
seem to have escaped justice completely.
“In
the Balkans, governments did not account for noncombatant support provided by
female affiliates of the Islamic State, and most female returnees have avoided
prosecution altogether,” JamilleBigio, a senior fellow at the Council on
Foreign Relations, told VOA in an email.
Other
countries, though, like Germany and Iraq, have reacted to the difficulty in
obtaining evidence by taking a much different, much harsher tack.
"There is evidence of women receiving disproportionately
harsh sentences compared to men, including life sentences or the death penalty
for mere 'association' with ISIL fighters," the U.N. analysis found, using
another acronym for the terror group.
A
return to extremism?
Yet
whether IS-affiliated women entering the justice systems of various countries
are treated too harshly or not harshly enough, there is concern that over the
long term, the likelihood that they will cling to or return to their extremist
beliefs is high.
The
U.N. analysis found that with so few women being brought to their countries of
origin to face justice, little has been done to develop programs that could
help some of them eventually reintegrate into society once their sentences are
complete.
Bigio,
who served on the National Security Council under former U.S. President Barack
Obama, agreed.
“Prison
and rehabilitation programs designed for men fail to address the underlying
causes of women’s radicalization,” she said, noting that women who join
extremist groups have often reported that “membership provided greater freedom
than could be found in traditional society.”
And
what many IS-affiliated women are being offered may not be a better
alternative.
https://www.voanews.com/extremism-watch/un-warns-failure-address-islamic-state-women
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SIDF,
through W20,
strives to enhance women’s role in industrial sector
July
22,
2020
RIYADH
— The Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF), represented by Riyadh’s Alnahda
Society, is the hosting organization of the Woman 20 (W20) summit, which aims to enhance
women’s participation in the Kingdom’s industrial sector, the Saudi Press
Agency reported.
The
W20
is an official G20
engagement group focused on women’s empowerment and gender equality. The W20’s primary objective is to
ensure that gender considerations are mainstreamed into G20 discussions and translate into
the G20
Leaders’ Declaration as policies and commitments that foster gender equality
and women’s economic empowerment.
Commenting
on the sponsorship of the event, Eng. Noor Shabib, vice president of strategic
planning & business development at SIDF, said, “Working together with the W20 will advance our mutual agenda
on women empowerment, diversity and inclusion.
“This
support stresses SIDF’s commitment to Vision 2030’s strategic goal of raising
Saudi women’s economic participation rate to 30 percent and enabling women to
attain more leadership positions across the country.”
She
said that SIDF is considered a pioneer in workforce gender diversity within
governmental entities. In less than three years, SIDF has increased the
percentage of its female employees from zero percent to 15 percent of total workforce;
now employing 159
female employees all of whom hold positions ranging from junior officers to top
managerial posts in all departments.
“As
the main financial enabler of Saudi Vision’s National Industrial Development
and Logistics Program (NIDLP), SIDF deploys a wide range of lending and
advisory products to the private sector. SIDF applies a gender-neutral policy
that ensures no discrimination between men and women with regards to access to
services and opportunities,” she said.
On
her part, Salma Al Rashid, W20’s Sherpa, said that labor
inclusion and inclusive decision making are one of the W20’s key priorities and we are
delighted that SIDF has joined as an advocate.
“The
W20
is committed to ensuring that women occupy leadership roles and engage in equal
and meaningful participation in the decision making across all sectors. Through
our shared agendas and joint efforts, we will be able to achieve the best
positive outcomes for women in the workplace,” she added.
SIDF
continues to innovate new, more tailored products and services that ensure to
offer the same opportunities to both men and women investors in the private
sector in efforts to increase the private sector’s participation in the
Kingdom.
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/595838
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Eid
Al Adha2020: Pakistani
Woman Cattle Seller Breaks Stereotypes At Karachi Market
July
22,
2020
Karachi-based
Ghani's animals are also up for sale online on social media sites titled 'Desi
Cows'.
In
Pakistan, the business of livestock - cows, buffaloes, sheep, goats and camels
reaches its boom when the whole country is filled with cattle markets with
sellers piling up sacrificial animals for sale before the Eid Al Adha.
Every
year, these markets are abuzz with buyers and sellers, over 95 per cent of who are men.
However,
this year, the highlight of Karachi's largest cattle market is not animals. It
is a young woman, who is breaking and challenging gender stereotypes by
standing among the men to tend and sell the sacrificial animals.
Karachi's
cattle market at Super Highway is by far the most prominent cattle market in
the country, filled with hundreds of thousands of animals and it attracts
buyers round the clock.
Ayesha
Ghani, the 21-year-old
can be seen tending and selling the sacrificial animals at the cattle market
ahead of this Eid Al Adha. It may not be a take out of the ordinary. However,
Ghani being a woman, is certainly shattering stereotypes as this market has not
seen a woman do such tasks in the past.
Ghani
is a resident of Karachi and is seen standing in the market everyday, putting
at least 36
of her cows, oxen and calves on sale, with a price ranging from Rs130,000 to Rs700,000.
"I have raised these animals at home on my own.
That's why I have a special affection towards them", said Ayesha Ghani.
Ghani
has also brought along a new trend of online buying as her animals are also up
for sale online on social media sites titled "Desi Cows".
"Most buyers are looking for animals available at
economical prices, while prices have sky-rocketed this year due to
inflation," she said, adding that the business has slowed down this year
amid coronavirus outbreak.
"I have been an animal lover all my life. However,
this is the first time that I am personally selling animals in the
market," she said.
Ghani
hoped that women would get encouraged to see her and get more involved in this
work. However, the challenges that she faces being a woman, standing in a
male-dominated market are "bound to surface at first".
"After all, girls do face a lot of difficulties in
our society but I have taken the first step and hope to see more women and
girls stepping forward," Ghani said.
"Today, women are second to none and they should
not consider themselves inferior to anyone. We can progress in every
field," she added.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/pakistan/eid-al-adha-2020-pakistani-woman-cattle-seller-breaks-stereotypes-at-karachi-market
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Georges
calls for greater support during International Forum for Women and Sports
July
22,
2020
The
secretary general of French Football Federation, has urged the sports
fraternity to invest in women's sports as it recovers from Covid-19.
The
Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of UAE, once said that,
"The woman is half of the society; any country which pursues development
should not leave her in poverty or illiteracy".
Echoing
those sentiments, Laura Georges, one of the top stars of international women's
football and secretary general of French Football Federation, has urged the
sports fraternity to invest in women's sports to strengthen the whole community
as it recovers from Covid-19, according to a press release.
"Investing in women means investing in the whole
family," said Georges, as she discussed the "Future of Women's Sport
in Light of the Current Challenges" alongside Tunisian fencer Ines
Boubakri, winner of a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, during the
virtual "International Forum for Women and Sports", which was
organised by the Women's Sports Committee of Dubai Sports Council on Wednesday.
"When you invest in women and women's sport, you
benefit the entire household and the community - you benefit her parents and
her children, you benefit her spouse and her siblings, and you benefit future
generations and communities.
"So, as we forge ahead, leaving these challenging
times behind, I believe it is critical that we invest more in women. It will be
important that men and women unite and combine their efforts in creating and achieving
excellence, not just in the sports sector, but in every sphere of life."
Held
on video conferencing app Zoom, the Forum boasted a panel that included
SheikhaShamsabint Hasher Al Maktoum, Board Member of the UAE Volleyball
Association and Member of the Board of Directors of Al Wasl Sports Club in
Dubai; Sheikha Naima Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, head of the Organising
Committee for Women's Games in the Gulf Cooperation Council; Mouza Ibrahim
Mohamed Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary at the UAE Ministry of Community
Development; Rowdah Al Mehrizi, Chairperson of Women's Sports Committee; Nada
Askar Al Naqbi, Director General of Sharjah Women's Sports Foundation; and Dr
Mai Al Jaber, Board member of the UAE National Olympic Committee and the Fatima
Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy.
Nadia
Khadim, captain of Al Wasl's women's volleyball team, was also on the list of
panellists, while FouzeyaFaridoon, Manager of Dubai Sports Council's Women's
Sports Development section and Manager of the Council's Women's Sports
Committee, delivered the closing address.
Speaking
about the impact of Covid-19 on international sports, Mouza
Ibrahim Mohamed Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary at the UAE Ministry of Community
Development, said: "The pandemic has affected every sector of life, in
every part of the world. It has affected the sports sector as well and in the
USA alone, the sports sector is estimated to have lost about $ 12 billion due to the pandemic in
the last few minutes. At the world level, you can only imagine how big that number
will be.
"But on the individual level - and I am not a
sports expert - I believe Covid-19 has contributed towards
raising awareness about sports and a physically active lifestyle. People seem
to be more interested in their physical activity and healthy living now."
Nada
Askar Al Naqbi, Director General of Sharjah Women's Sports Foundation, also
spoke about positives and said: "Despite the circumstances and challenges
we are facing, I prefer to look at this crisis as an opportunity and not as an
adversity. I believe we will bounce back stronger from this phase, overcoming
all the challenges and using this experience to our benefit. We will be
challenged to innovate and we will see virtual events, competitions and forums
becoming more commonplace.
"Of course, I believe we will need greater support
and encouragement from all the government and private institutions as we work
to enhance the presence of our ladies at local, regional and international
sports events."
Talking
about the impact of Covid-19 on her as a player, Georges
added: "It was really strange to see all the sports activity come to a
halt. Things were really complicated in the first few days as we were worried
whether it was safe to train in these circumstances, but after studying the matter
carefully, we started opening up gradually, applying safety protocols."
Boubakri,
who was training for the Olympics in the USA, also found the first few days of
the lockdown really confusing because of all the "conflicting
information".
"I had never faced such a situation before,"
she said. "I never had to stop training or sit at home before. So it was
difficult, but we managed to get through this phase with the help of my coach.
I did not give up or allow fear to take hold of me - and that is very important
as an athlete. We should never let fear overcome us. That is my advice to every
woman."
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/local/georges-calls-for-greater-support-during-international-forum-for-women-and-sports
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Murder
in Turkey sparks outrage over rising violence against women
23
Jul 2020
The
murder of a 27-year-old
woman by an ex-boyfriend has sparked outrage in Turkey, shining a light on the
country’s shockingly high femicide rate and government efforts to roll back
legislation designed to protect women from gender-based violence.
The
remains of student PınarGültekin were discovered in woodland in the Aegean
province of Muğla on Tuesday. According to Turkish media, she was beaten and
then strangled to death by her former partner, CemalMetinAvci, who then burned
her body in a garbage bin and covered it in concrete. The 32-year-old has been detained on
homicide charges.
A
vigil for Gültekin and other femicide victims was held in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş
neighbourhood and three other cities across the country on Tuesday night. “We
are here Pınar, we will hold them accountable,” women chanted while waving
purple flags.
Violence
against women and so-called “honour” killings are deeply rooted and prevalent
issues in Turkey. According to a 2009 study on prevention
strategies, 42%
of Turkish women aged between 15–60 had suffered some physical or
sexual violence by their husbands or partners.
Every
year, the problem is getting worse: in 2019, 474 women were murdered, mostly by
partners and relatives, the highest rate in a decade in which the numbers have
increased year on year. The figures for 2020, affected by coronavirus
lockdowns, are expected to be even higher.
Data
on deaths is compiled from news reports and victims’ families by campaign group
We Will Stop Femicide, which began tracking murders of women after the
government admitted it did not keep records. Government statistics related to
violence against women that do exist are unreliable and often differ from
department to department.
“Violence
against women is a problem everywhere. In Turkey we have a strong women’s
rights movement but we also face a lot of opposition,” said FidanAtaselim, We
Will Stop Femicide’s general secretary. “In the last 20 years society has changed a
lot: more women are demanding their right to work and go to university. The
more choices we have, the more intense the backlash gets.”
Turkey
was the first country to adopt a 2011 Council of Europe convention
on gender-based violence and domestic violence, a groundbreaking legal framework
designed to protect victims and effectively prosecute offenders, known as the
Istanbul Convention.
Since
then, however, even basic rights and protections won by Turkish women have come
under threat as Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s conservative Justice and Development
party (AKP) has tried to roll back legislation politicians say threaten
traditional family values.
Small
but powerful lobby groups have repeatedly petitioned for changes to the
Istanbul convention on the grounds that it encourages divorce and “immoral
lifestyles”. The law’s future is currently being debated by parliament.
AKP
deputy chair NumanKurtulmuş said in a televised interview earlier this month
that the Istanbul convention was “very wrong” and “played into the hands of
LGBT and marginal elements” in Turkish society.
Other
senior ministers, including Erdoğan, regularly make public statements that are
degrading to women. According to the president, women are not equal to men, and
those without children are deficient. Former prime minister BinaliYıldırım has
told supporters that rather than physically attack women in public wearing
shorts, they should verbally harass them instead.
“Comments
like this from men in power legitimise these attitudes,” said Selin Nakipoğlu,
a solicitor specialising in family law. “Our existing laws are actually strong,
they’re just not enforced. On top of that, the government is trying to roll
back things like child support and introduce mediation in divorce proceedings,
even if there was violence in the marriage. An undercover journalist once rang
the family consultation bureau and was told to pray and pacify her husband.
“Despite
all of the government’s efforts, divorce rates are still going up. More and
more women are rejecting these ideas.”
Turkey’s
legal system, which has been purged of perceived disloyal elements and
weaponised against the government’s critics since a failed coup attempt in 2016, is now even more unlikely to
deliver timely justice for victims of male violence.
Men
who say they acted on impulse, or who claim to be religious and dress smartly
in court, are handed reduced sentences so often there is now a term for it:
“tie reduction”.
Avci,
Gültekin’s alleged killer, reportedly blamed his ex-girlfriend for his actions.
“She threatened to let my wife know about the relationship. She was asking for
money. I killed her in a moment of rage,” Turkish media quoted him as saying in
his testimony.
Meanwhile,
grief and rage continue to flood Turkish social media, with hundreds of
thousands of tributes to the murdered student and other women like her.
“PınarGültekin’s
murderer is among us, at our side, on our bed, at the bus stop, a step behind
us ... They are not elsewhere, they don’t fall from the sky, they don’t come
from space. This is why women’s murders, hate murders, are political,” actor
Meriç Aral tweeted on Tuesday.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/23/turkey-outrage-rising-violence-against-women
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