KCDP: 315 women were murdered in Turkey in 2023

The platform "We will stop femicides" published a report on femicides in Turkey in 2023. According to the report, 315 women were murdered by men and 248 women died in unexplained circumstances.

The platform "We will stop femicides" (KCDP) published statistics on femicides in Turkey in 2023. The platform, which was founded in Istanbul, has been collecting data on femicides since 2008. "In these 15 years, the only year in which femicides decreased was 2011, when the Istanbul Convention was signed. Since the debate on the Istanbul Convention began, there has been an increase in femicides and suspicious deaths. In this year that we have spent without the Istanbul Convention, there has been a sharp increase in femicides and suspicious deaths of women. Although it is so clear that many women could survive if the Istanbul Convention is actually implemented, the political power has withdrawn its signature from the Istanbul Convention," the women's organisation said.

According to the KCDP data, 315 women were murdered in Turkey last year, while 248 women died under suspicious circumstances. The statistics are based on media research and applications for support submitted directly to the organisation. Most femicides were committed in Istanbul, followed by Izmir and Ankara. 65 percent of the women were murdered in their own homes. 55 percent of the women were shot, 31 percent stabbed, six percent strangled and four percent beaten to death. 41 percent of the perpetrators were the husbands of the victims. In three percent of cases could the perpetrator not be identified, while all others were in a partner or family relationship or were ex-partners.

The platform pointed out that impunity gives criminals the courage to reoffend. In ten percent of murders of women in 2023, the perpetrators already had a criminal record. This means that these murders are committed by perpetrators who had a criminal record for another offence and were partially released from prison on parole. The platform called for a different approach to violence against women in the justice system and the effective implementation of existing legal mechanisms to protect women: "As long as impunity continues and protection and prevention measures are not implemented, femicides will continue to increase."