Law No. 6284 in Practice After Withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention

Abstract 

At the 25th Assembly on Women’s Shelters and Solidarity Centers, lawyers, counselors, and shelter and solidarity center staff discussed the implications of Turkey’s family-oriented state policies and decision to withdraw from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, known in short as the Istanbul Convention, on patriarchal violence. The resultant Concluding Declaration of the Assembly revealed the demands for combating violence against women and LGBTI+ individuals and for gender equality. Against this backdrop and in line with the latest discussions held at the assembly, this paper seeks to answer the following question: What are the political and legal implications of Turkey’s decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention for Law No. 6284 in practice? However, Turkey’s decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention should be evaluated not only in the context of national but also transnational policies. For instance, if and how Turkey’s decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention affected EU-Turkey relations should be evaluated within the framework of rising antigender movements and increasing militarism across the EU.