Women attend a rally in protest of violence against women in Istanbul, Turkey, on Aug. 5, 2020. Thousands of Turkish women on Wednesday staged simultaneous demonstrations across the country, urging authorities to take decisive measures to stop violence against women. (Photo by Huseyin Aldemir/Xinhua)
ISTANBUL, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Turkish women on Wednesday staged simultaneous demonstrations across the country, urging authorities to take decisive measures to stop violence against women.
Carrying the name tags of those who were murdered by their male partners or relatives, women gathered in Turkey's biggest city Istanbul, denouncing all kinds of violence against women, including sexual abuse, in the country.
Women's right groups have been asking the government to strictly implement the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence.
Turkey was among the first countries which ratified the deal, also known as the Istanbul Convention as it was signed in Istanbul in 2011.
However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government are now considering withdrawing from the deal, arguing that it negatively impacts the structure of Turkish families.
The government is expected to discuss the matter and give its final decision in the upcoming days.
Since the beginning of this year, 205 women have been killed by their male partners, relatives, or assaulters in Turkey, the We Will Stop Femicide Platform, a platform that tracks homicides against women, reported on its website.
The figure was 417 last year, the data revealed.
