Türkiye committed to anti-violence against women despite convention withdrawal: Erdogan

ANKARA, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said here Monday that Türkiye’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention does not undermine his government’s commitment to anti-violence against women.
Calling such violence a “betrayal of humanity” at an event on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Erdogan said it is Türkiye’s primary duty to ensure that “those who commit violence against women must face the punishment they deserve.”
In response to claims that Türkiye’s convention withdrawal has weakened the government’s stance on the matter and to calls for the country to rejoin the convention, Erdogan said there is “no causal link” between withdrawing from the “ideological debates” and Türkiye’s “resolve” and “efforts” in this struggle.
“Despite withdrawing from the convention, Türkiye is one of the few countries to have addressed this issue comprehensively through its national legislation,” he said.
Türkiye was one of the first signatories of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, otherwise known as the Istanbul Convention, in 2011.
The country formally pulled out from the convention on July 1, 2021, under a presidential decree issued in March last year. Erdogan said then that his country’s domestic regulations are sufficient to combat violence against women. ■