The Impact of Turkish Women's Advocacy Groups in Protecting the Istanbul Convention

Abstract

During its enforcement, the Istanbul Convention was one of the crucial tools for Turkish women's advocacy groups to help prevent violence against women (kadına şiddet). The Convention brought the issue of domestic violence (ev içi şiddet) onto Turkey's public agenda and provided explanatory definitions for the terms gender (toplumsal cinsiyet), gender-based violence (toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı şiddet), and gender-equality (cinsiyet eşitliği) as well as highlighted their importance. This research study compares and analyses two prominent women's advocacy groups and an independent communication network based in Turkey and focuses on the acts they took to protect the goals of the Istanbul Convention. It also discusses their moves since Turkey's withdrawal in 2021. Finally, using interviews highlights the work of the We Will Stop Femicides Platform, KAMER Foundation and the independent communication network known as Bianet: Independent Communication Network. The thesis engages with resource mobilisation theory and feminist perspective on femicides to analyse the resources the Turkish women's advocacy groups (WAGs) used to mobilise the Turkish women's movement and the reasons behind femicides happening in Turkey. With this study, I argue the main motives of the women's advocacy groups for the Istanbul Convention's implementation and the obstacles they faced during this period.