Through a presidential decree issued on Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan withdrew his country from an international treaty to protect women. The move has shocked many in the country that has been reeling from high-profile domestic violence cases and femicides.
Turkey was the first country to sign the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in 2011. The Istanbul Convention, named after Turkey’s largest city, seeks to prevent violence against women, including domestic violence, and bring an end to legal impunity for perpetrators.
Turkish women’s rights defenders have protested against the withdrawal.
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