ISTANBUL—A retro computer screen on a violet background, an error system alert and a sign reading: “Women will fix this system.”
That’s how Turkey’s We Will Stop Femicides Platform (KCDP) is calling on people to take the streets Tuesday, Nov. 25 to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
This year’s demonstrations come as Turkey continues to witness high femicide rates, which rights advocates link to a combination of weak legal protections and a parallel surge in gun ownership across the country.
According to the platform, from January to October 2025, 235 women were killed by men, and another 247 died under suspicious circumstances.
“The numbers have gone up because the resistance of women is more evident now,” KCDP activist Şirin Yalıncakoğlu told Turkey recap. “Women are more likely to ask for a divorce or to separate from their family or their partners. They want freedom and to be in charge of their own lives, but in response, the men kill them.”
Istanbul Convention
The platform argues lawmakers should take more measures to protect women in Turkey. Instead, activists note, officials have promoted conservative narratives on women’s role in the family as Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterates that all women should have at least three children.
In kicking off the new year, Erdoğan declared 2025 to be the “Year of the Family”, and has since extended the slogan to the next decade. The campaign seeks to reverse the nation’s falling birth rate through government incentives for new families or families with many children.
Yet, this pro-family agenda was introduced at the end of 2024, the year with the nation’s highest-ever recorded femicide rate, at 452 deaths according to KCDP data.
Yalıncakoğlu said the spike in violence is partly tied to political rhetoric, and also to Turkey’s 2021 withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, a Council of Europe treaty opposing violence against women and domestic violence.
At the time, government officials argued Turkish Law No. 6284 provided sufficient legal grounds to prosecute and prevent instances of violence against women. Yet human rights groups have maintained the law is not creating a deterrence effect, with Yalıncakoğlu stating it is “not applied correctly.”
“It made the situation a lot worse,” Yalıncakoğlu said. “Just to give you an example, when a woman goes to the police to denounce a crime, sometimes they pretend there is nothing they can do about it.”
In such cases, most women turn to the platform or similar organizations to ask for help and protect their rights, she added.
Open prisons, black markets
Additional risks are posed by Turkey’s open prison system. Inmates at these institutions are considered to be low-risk repeat offenders and are eligible for work programs outside the prison grounds.
Yet, instead of using this permission to work, some men convicted for violence against women turn to the black markets to buy firearms.
One stark example of the systemic risks in Turkey came on Nov. 3, when Nermin Tirit was shot and killed by Salih Aybas, who then committed suicide with the same gun. He had previously stabbed her and was arrested in 2023 for attempted murder.
“Femicides happen because it is really easy to find a gun, and in most of the cases we see that the gun was not registered,” Yalıncakoğlu said. “The state must address this issue. You can’t defend yourself if the assaulter has a gun.”
Gun attacks on women are a symptom of a much wider problem in Turkey. There are currently an estimated 40 million firearms in the country, and the number of people obtaining gun permits has more than doubled since 2018. As a result, shootings have increased.
Prof. Yasemin Inceoğlu, of the Umut Foundation, said there were 3,801 armed incidents across Turkey in 2023 with a total 2,370 people killed and 3,829 injured.
“The preliminary data for 2025 already show 2,785 cases between January and early November,” Inceoğlu told Turkey recap. “But we still have two months left before the end of the year.”
Looking at the foundation’s violent incidents maps, Inceoğlu pointed to Istanbul, Samsun, Ankara, Adana, Bursa, Diyarbakır and Çorum as the top provinces for armed incidents, with the Marmara region—including Istanbul—accounting for nearly 29 percent of the incidents.
When it comes to femicides, there are no official records. The Umut Foundation relies on press releases from authorities, news reports and information obtained by victims’ families to create its reports.
Patriarchy and control
“On average, one in every 35 incidents involving firearms targets women,” Inceoğlu said.
She added violence against women is rooted in Turkey’s persistent patriarchal mentality. This can include men’s desire to control women’s behavior, the shame stemming from losing control over another person or even the perception of losing it.
There are also reinforcing pressures from families and, at times, community expectations. Such elements, in different forms and combinations, can contribute to femicides.
“In Turkey, honor is perceived as something related to women’s bodies, to their sexuality and to the notion of controlling them,” Inceoğlu said.
Those seeking control are most often men, who also make up the large majority of new gun license applications. Notably, the official gun market is not the only one expanding.
“There is a stable black market in Turkey, and 90 percent of firearm crimes involve illegal guns,” Inceoğlu said.
Another ominous trend the Umut Foundation has recorded is the increase in Google search queries on how to buy a gun in the country.
Meanwhile, the state has attempted to take some countermeasures. In November 2024, the Turkish parliament approved a law proposed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to reduce the accessibility of unlicensed firearms and enforce stricter penalties for illegal gun possession.
The previous prison term of six months to three years was raised to one to five years. Severe sanctions are also prescribed for those who import or trade critical firearm components, such as barrels, slides or firing pins, with imprisonment ranging from five to twelve years.
“Gun violence is still rising, and the fact that the government acknowledges the issue publicly is a positive sign, but deeper reforms are needed,” Inceoğlu said. “Tougher penalties are not enough. Enforcement remains weak and, since 2021, it’s easier to apply for a gun [license].”
Turkey’s Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Family and Social Services did not respond to requests for comment for this report.
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