Istanbul Convention, Honour Killings and Turkey’s Experience

Abstract

Summary The problem of domestic violence against women (DVAW) is a global concern and pivotal point which is still waiting for necessary radical measures to prevent it. Honour related violence is a phenomenon and special form of domestic violence against women that affects every country. For decades, honour killings have been a topical legal issue in Turkey. This article highlights the positive changes of Turkey’s legislation after ratification of the Istanbul Convention, which provides legal protection and prevention measures to help women and their families and shows how important it was for Turkey to implement the Convention in order to prevent these crimes. The authors shed light to the point that Turkey has done much to implement the Istanbul Convention, but male-dominated mentality, still hampers the effective prevention of gender-based violence. Article analyses the importance of the Istanbul Convention in Turkey through the “Unjust Provocation” concept and Law No. 6284 which was adopted by Turkey after ratification of the Convention.