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[JTW Interview] Violence Against Women In Turkey: A Phenomenon to Overcome with Integrated Politics |
1 August 2011By Gozde Citler, JTW
The Journal of Turkish Weekly conducted an inclusive interview with Dilek Karal, a specialist at USAK Center for Social Studies regarding violence against women which has increased significantly during recent years. Karal underlined the fact that education alone would not make a difference in tackling the issue, which must also be addressed from both socioeconomic and sociocultural dimensions. Karal also stressed that violence in Turkey is a tragic phenomenon, however to be able to speak of an increase or decrease in these events, requires longitudinal studies.
Violence against women is increasing every day. A lot of cases are discussed in the media too, however there are still no effective precautions or they are insufficient. The Minister of Family and Social Policies, Fatma Sahin, declared that work is underway in implementing electronic cuffs as a punishment. Do you think this would be a preventive way?
Dilek Karal: Electronic cuffs have been in use in the USA for long years. However, they are being used as a ‘deterrent’ rather than ‘preventive’ method. Fatma Sahin is appreciated by women’s associations; they were pleased to hear that she was made the minister. This proposal of hers was supported by many women’s associations and they have perceived this as an important implementation. I also think so, only if it can be implemented efficiently. This process, however, is not yet complete, it has to be formed as a draft law and presented to the parliament. Fatma Sahin made other declarations as well. One of these concerns a change in law no. 5237 of the Turkish Penal Code which is about the reduction of punishments involving homicidal crimes. This law foresees a reduction if there is excessive incitement to commit the crime or excessive psychological depression. These reductions can be commute life sentences to just twelve years. Therefore, women’s associations would like for this law to not be taken advantage of in some cases. They say if there are homicidal crimes with motives like “honor” or “gender discrimination against women”, the punishments should be life sentences without any reductions. The implementation of all laws is important of course, however, some people in Turkey still maintain an outdated frame of mind. The research regarding this issue, whether Hacettepe University’s research in 2009 or the Turkish Statistical Institute’s (TUIK); the most important result is that violence is perceived as a normal phenomenon in many regions.
How should we read violence against women in Turkey? How accurate is it to say that violence has drastically increased in recent years?
D. Karal: There are a lot of factors which can trigger violence such as sociocultural factors, economic factors, and psychological factors in the environment where people grow up. We need to look at what conditions they become prominent under. The efforts shall target eliminating the roots of these factors. However this is not limited to the motto which is liberally used in Turkey—“education is a must”. Educated people also beat their spouses or commit different kinds of violence against them. Education is just one dimension. The issue should be tackled with integrated multi-agency policies. It is compulsory to operate family and child services efficiently, and formalize different environments where boys and girls grow up to not normalize the violence. All in all, violence as a phenomenon needs to leave our lives altogether.
For instance, Turkish Ministry of Justice 2010 data shows violence against women has increased 1400% during the last seven years. This is a very big number. According to some other data during the first seven months of 2010; 226 women were murdered while 478 women were raped and 722 women sexually abused. There are a lot of similar cases. Over 100,000 women suffered from sexual attacks. Although the numbers are as such, they cannot present us solid data regarding whether the violence has increased or decreased. This is because there are certain problems in evaluating statistical data in Turkey. The fact that they are being presented in a systematic fashion in recent years can be interpreted as the invisible tip of the iceberg slowly surfacing.
In other words, violence against women existed before as well but can now be better measured with in-depth research, which has made the issue more apparent. Without longitudinal studies it is very difficult to understand if the violence has increased or not. However, we need to underline that the existing circumstances in the context of this issue are already too tragic. According to Hacettepe University’s research, 39% of the women in this country (more than a third) are victims of physical violence and 15% are victims of sexual violence. 42% of women say that they have experienced a form of one or the other. The interesting part is the women who experienced violence did not make appeals to official units or to non-governmental organizations. More than half of them shared the situation with just close relatives. Only 8% of the women requested help from official units. This rate is very low. In a society where violence is skyrocketing, this low rate points to ignorance. Women either do not see themselves sufficient socioeconomically or they normalize violence in a sociocultural sense.
How far have social policies come in the prevention of violence?
D. Karal: This issue, of course, relates to the social politics which began to be implemented after 1980. Policies have always been a tool to organize interfamily relations, in every country. The system and regime of the country in one way or other have transformed the patriarchal structure of family relations. These cannot be thought of as separate things. The welfare state politics, similarly, affect the development of interfamily policies.
One of the academicians at Bogazici University, Ayse Bugra, says that our social policy approach appears to be a reflection of conservatism. In other words; yes, family-centered policies are being developed but these can easily be transformed into policies which shut women inside the house. These are needed to be balanced very carefully and the approach should be integrative. Rather than such policies, structures should be built to allow women to develop themselves, get educated, and reach social and economic resources. It is very important not to think all these are separate. The problem does not end with giving a little money to women and making them take care of the children or elderly in their families. Everything is not just education or not just cultural. It is very easy to impute everything to discussions on conservatism. What do we understand from conservatism or is the normalizing of violence a sociocultural value? Results need to be shaped according to the answers of these questions. It is important not to arrive at easy conclusions. Social phenomena cannot be formulated like laws of physics. That’s why women who are university graduates can experience violence or a doctoral candidate can be abused, murdered, or subjected to any other form of violence sometime or another in her life. We have to advocate a change in mentality.
What should be the focal point of the new policies that are being prepared? What aspects need to be tackled carefully?
D. Karal: In some countries, there are policy-making processes which are called ‘gender mainstreaming.’ These are social gender policies, formulated based on the fact that men and women are equal. In Turkey as well, while official policies and draft laws are being prepared or being passed, they should be considered within this framework. Nothing can be the sole reason for violence. Violence, though, can be a result of many things.
Naturally, socioeconomic factors are very important. Undereducated women and women with low socioeconomic status are subjected to violence more often. This, without a doubt, refers to something important. Socioeconomic status and education level are indeed factors in being subjected to violence. Acceptance of violence as merely a case within the family, that is what we refer to as ‘a history of abuse,’ is also of importance. This is because women who are subjected to violence declare that either they or their mothers were also subjected to violence in the past. To what extent women or men normalize violence is specifically related to their previous experiences with violence. Thus, it is not wrong to start off with family-centered policies. That is because more than a third of women are exposed to violence by their husbands, fathers, brothers, or male relatives. This is a separate point that needs to be examined. What are the reasons for this, social psychologically, economically, even pathologically? As we always state, the social policy-making processes need to be integral. Violence cannot be solved solely by increasing the amount of punishments. This is actually not a solution but a result. It can be supported eventually, but it is wrong to think the solution lies only in legal implementations. |
1 August 2011
Gozde Citler, JTW
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