Despite international agreements, laws, and policy commitments to combat violence against women and girls, more effort is needed to end all forms of violence against women in Türkiye.

Within the legislative and policy commitments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Law No.6284 on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence against Women (2012) and National Action Plan on Combating Violence and Women (2021-2025) and related annual action plans, UN Women Türkiye works in collaboration with public and civil society stakeholders to combat all forms and manifestations of violence against women resulting from gender inequalities.

According to the National Research on Violence against Women from 2014:

• 4 of 10 women in Türkiye are exposed to physical or sexual violence;
• 3 of 10 women in Türkiye are married before they turn 18;
• 48 per cent of girls in Türkiye married by age 18 are exposed to physical violence;
• One third of girls in Türkiye are not allowed to go to school by their families;
• 11 per cent of women in Türkiye are prevented from working by their families;
• Only 1 of 10 women in Türkiye exposed to violence apply to an institution for help;
• 90 per cent of human trafficking victims in Türkiye are women.

According to the 2018 Türkiye Demographic and Health Survey:

• 14 per cent of Turkish women aged 20-24 were married before 18;
• 45 per cent of Syrian women under temporary protection status in Türkiye aged 20-24 were married by their 18th birthday, with 9 per cent of them married by 15.

UN Women in Action in Türkiye and its Ending Violence Against Women Portfolio

Partnering with Ministries, local governments, civil society organisations, women’s movement, professional chambers, private sector and media, and other UN agencies to prevent and enhance the response to violence against women and girls, UN Women Türkiye works to:

• Bring relevant national legislation and policy documents in line with international norms and standards, and improve their effective implementation;
• Ensure that women and girls have full access to and benefit from multi-sectoral services to prevent and combat violence against women;
• Combat and transform gender stereotypes;
• Engage men and boys to combat all forms and manifestations of violence against women;
• Ensure the effectiveness of services to combat violence against women in disaster risk management and disaster response efforts.

UN Women carries out its efforts to combat violence against women in a multi-faceted approach, including prevention, intervention, risk management, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, data generation and analysis, thereby adopting a holistic strategy.

Our projects:

• UN Joint Programme on the Prevention of Child, Early and Forced Marriages (CEFM) in Türkiye Project, implemented jointly with UNICEF, UNFPA and UN Women Türkiye with the financial support of the Swedish Government through SIDA,
• Strengthening Women’s Access to Justice Project funded by the Swedish Government and implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice,
• Enhancing Women's Post-Earthquake Legal Literacy Project funded by the Federal Government of Germany and implemented in cooperation with the Union of Turkish Bar Associations,
• Supporting Provincial Administrations in Guidance for more Effective Multisectoral Cooperation and Reporting on Ending Violence Against Women Project funded by the Federal Government of Germany and implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior,
• Addressing the Urgent Needs of Women and Girls Impacted by the Earthquake for Multi-sectoral Services funded by the Federal Government of Germany and carried out in cooperation with various stakeholders to address the urgent needs of women and girls affected by the earthquakes in 11 provinces in 2023.

UN Women Türkiye, in collaboration with civil society organizations and networks, also works on combating violence against women and girls, crisis resilience and climate change.

Our publications:

• Research study on the perception of men and boys on child, early and forced marriages in Turkey, 2021
• Her Aftermath - The Impact of the Earthquakes in Türkiye: Focus on Prevention and Response to Violence Against Women, 2023
• Her Aftermath - The Impact of Earthquakes in Türkiye: Barriers to Access to Justice After the Earthquakes – Field Research Findings on Women’s Legal Priorities, 2023

Under its women’s political participation portfolio since 2019, UN Women has been working on combating violence against women in politics (VAWiP) which negatively affects women’s effective participation and representation in public and political life. In this context, a qualitative research Violence against Women in Politics in Türkiye was published in 2023.

Every year, UN Women Türkiye leads the UN Secretary-General’s campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women by coordinating UN joint activities and communication campaigns during the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-based Violence from 25 November-10 December. 

Since 2012, UN Women Türkiye has been raising awareness on violence against women in Türkiye through campaigns, events and activities organized within the framework of 16 Days of Activism and inviting everyone to be a part of the movement to prevent violence. 16 Days of Activism campaigns ongoing since 2018:

• In 2018, “Fireflies” became the symbol and metaphor of the campaign, as they use their blinking lights to light the dark and communicate with each other. The campaign called on citizens to indicate when and where they witnessed domestic violence.
• In 2019, “Light the Dark”, a public safety campaign was launched where citizens attached a firefly to an interactive map to show where they felt unsafe. More than 14,000 fireflies were collected across Türkiye, mostly from women, and some municipalities took action to improve public safety. Light the Dark received a prestigious Silver Effie award. Read the campaign report here.
• “Light the Dark” campaign in 2020 raised public awareness on cyber violence against women and girls. The website was visited by more than 500 thousand people. Read the campaign report here.
• In 2021, #RaiseYourVoice campaign was launched to draw attention to violence against women and raise awareness on what individuals can do when they witness violence. Find the campaign results here.
• In 2022 #SheSaidNo campaign aimed to raise awareness about the symptoms and consequences of intimate partner violence, and to raise public awareness about how to take action against it. The #SheSaidNo campaign won a total of 24 awards at the Felis and Crystal Apple Awards. The campaign report is available here.
• In 2023, #NoExcuse campaign underlined the importance of protective legal frameworks and called for effective law enforcement to prevent violence against women. The campaign report is available here.