Minister Göktaş's statement on the Istanbul Convention

The budget marathon that started in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) continues with the discussions of the 2025 budgets of the Ministry of Family and Social Services and the Ministry of National Education.

Speaking on behalf of the executive, Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş argued that the claims that exiting the Istanbul Convention opened the way for violence against women do not reflect the truth.

"CLAIMING THAT EXITING THE CONVENTION INCREASED VIOLENCE IS A MALICIOUS COMMENT"

Göktaş used the following statements regarding the issue: "I would like to emphasize that our struggle against violence against women is a human rights struggle. While we are conducting a comprehensive fight against violence towards women, unfortunately, today this struggle is persistently confined to a narrow framework through the Istanbul Convention. As a country, our fight against violence towards women did not start with a single convention, nor can it be interrupted based on it. Claiming that exiting the convention increases violence is a malicious comment. This claim is not based on any scientific data.

"WE ARE THE CLOSEST FOLLOWERS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LAW NO. 6284"

I would also like to emphasize that we have a legal regulation that is rarely found in the world with the Law on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women No. 6284. We are the closest followers of the effective implementation of this strong law. In addition, we have also increased the penalties for those who commit violence against women and expanded its scope after 2020. Currently, we are continuing our struggle with a proactive approach and determination in cooperation and coordination with all our institutions."