Istanbul Convention on Violence

Istanbul Convention on Violence

CONCEPT: Received severe criticism from various quarters and has led to protests across the country. The development comes over three months after President Tayyip Erdogan issued a decree on March 21 this year, repealing Turkey’s treaty of Istanbul Convention, despite the alarmingly high rates of violence and femicide in the country.

CONCEPT:

• The Council of Europe established the Istanbul Convention, a human rights treaty, with the aim to prevent and prosecute all forms of violence against women, promote gender equality and ensure protection and rehabilitation of women who are victims of violence. The treaty was opened for ratification in May 2011.
• From the European Union, 34 countries signed this treaty. On November 24, 2011, Turkey became the first country to ratify the Istanbul convention and, on March 8, 2012, it incorporated the Istanbul Convention into domestic law.
• The reason for Turkey’s withdrawal, some officials of Erdogan’s nationalist party claimed that the convention demeans traditional family structure, promotes divorces and encourages acceptance of LGBTQ in the society. The Convention sets minimum standards for governments to meet when tackling violence against women.
• When a government ratifies the Convention, they are legally bound to follow it. As of March 2019, it has been signed by 45 countries and the European Union. The convention was adopted by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers on 7 April 2011.
• India is not signed the convention.