At Mor Çatı Women’s Shelter Foundation we have been drawing on feminist methods in our struggle against violence against women since 1990. We derive strength from women’s solidarity in our fight against discrimination and violence against women, both of which are deeply rooted in gender inequality. Since our establishment, both in our solidarity center and shelter, we have closely witnessed the determination of women who strive to break away from violence and change their lives, despite facing immense oppression and obstacles. Based on these experiences of women, at Mor Çatı, we work to transform the system in favor of women.
This year, once again, we frequently witnessed that women who seek to break away from violence are left without support by the very institutional mechanisms they turned to for support. In Turkey, we have been facing at various levels systematic assaults at women’s rights for many years now. These include direct attacks on the laws and regulations that benefit the women, the removal of the term gender from public documents, the development of social policies that prioritize the family over the women, and public statements denying the equality of women and men. Since 2021, in the aftermath of Turkey’s overnight withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention with the signature of the President, we have witnessed that the systemic bad practices women face when trying to access their rights—especially Law No. 6284—gradually worsen and women are left without support against violence. All the while, we are confronted with a political will that has declared 2025 as the “Family Year” instead of focusing on empowering women.
In 2024, killings of women and children once again caused public outrage. As gender inequality deepens, we know that the system which doesn’t protect women and children against violence and allows perpetrators of violence go unpunished is responsible for these killings. These murders are the ultimate culmination of the various forms of violence women are subjected to every day. While women struggle to get away from male violence, the very mechanisms established to support them and combat violence continue to fail them. These mechanisms fall short in understanding women’s needs and in accurately assessing the risks they face. The failure to sentence perpetrators of violence, the overturning of convictions by higher courts, or the release of the perpetrators without serving full terms due to execution laws, undermine both women’s and society’s trust in the justice system.
This year, in light of the local elections, we placed strong emphasis on the critical role municipalities must play in developing mechanisms to combat violence. As detailed in this report, we have carried out extensive work to encourage municipalities to establish effective support systems to combat violence against women. On the other hand, we have observed that municipalities face numerous internal challenges—most notably, the lack of institutionalization in the fight against violence, austerity measures, and the looming threat of trustee appointments—which have severely hindered their effectiveness. We know that when democracy and the rule of law do not function properly, the discrimination women face in a male-dominated system gets worse and policies that are in favor of women are swiftly abandoned.
As we emphasized on November 25th this year, the responsibility to combat violence against women falls on each and every one of us. As in previous years, we have learned from women’s experiences and once again reminded the state of its primary responsibility to combat violence against women. We endeavored to raise awareness with respect to violence through our efforts in different areas. In this report, you will read not only about our work, but also about the experiences and struggles of women. We are sharing with you this report where we strived to put to words our feminist solidarity that fosters our will to struggle.
