Women’s demonstration in Istanbul: defending women’s rights or promoting LGBT+ community?

Kremlin relations

In Istanbul, thousands of women protested against Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention for the Protection of Women.

 How did this happen and what did it lead to?

On March 20, Turkey announced its withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention for the Protection of Women, the administration of Recep Tayyip Erdogan argued this with the privatization of the convention by the LGBT community and promised not to leave women without protection.  At the same time, the Istanbul Convention was the first agreement that protected women from domestic violence.  After that, the women began to post on social networks calls to take to the streets and stage a demonstration.

Women gathered in the Kadikoy district with posters containing various slogans about fear and domestic violence.  Representatives of the LGBT community came out with their flags.  I managed to talk to one of the participants of the action and take comment from her:

“Why did you decide to take part in the action?  What result do you expect?”

 “We want to show that we are not afraid. We are not afraid to talk about this problem. The decision to withdraw from the convention should be canceled, because approximately 300 women per year die from domestic violence. It shouldn’t be like that.”

The authorities believe that this convention supports divorce, promotes LGBT culture, and destroys the values ​​of the Muslim state.  Zehra Zumrut, Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy of Turkey, said that women’s rights are protected by the country’s constitution. At the same time, she didn’t explain why the country needed to withdraw from the convention.

 wikiway

The historian and the lawyer, Anna Shvets, has commented about events in Istanbul:

“The role of a woman is changing, the status of a woman is changing, it is unlikely that she is ready to put up only with the role of a housewife who does not have the right to vote.  A patriarchal society is a relic of the past.  A man today is a support and protection.  Both from a moral point of view and material.  I am not negative about feminism. A woman should defend her rights, but I can’t say that she would be among those who, with banners and flags, would prove the right of women to become equal with men, to engage in state political activity. Feminism today is more of a fashion trend.  And the propaganda of the LGBT community will lead to the destruction of the social structure.

The Council of Europe called Turkey’s decision to withdraw from the convention “crushing”.  “This is a huge step backwards, and it is especially regrettable that it jeopardizes the protection of women in Turkey, throughout Europe and beyond,” said the secretary general of the department, Maria Pejcinovic Buric.

The correspondent of TakieMedia, Alexei Chudnovsky, suggested what society will be like in 5-10 years:

“For the next 5-10 years, we will observe the destruction of the institution of the family, which will lead to a large surge in rape, a surge in sexually transmitted diseases. This can be a big threat to the world society as a whole.”