Feminism news: Women’s protests in Turkey +++ 370 million girls victims of sexual violence +++ Spoon in underpants protects against forced marriage.
The feminist news ticker for October 2024
Here you can read news that is particularly relevant for women.
October 14, 2024
After several femicides: women protest for their safety in Turkey
Hundreds of people took to the streets again in Istanbul and Ankara. They are fighting for their protection, against violence against women and against the government, as the AFP news agency reports. The protests were triggered by the brutal murders of several young women in recent weeks. A total of 299 women have been killed by men in Turkey this year. “Erdogan murderer! AKP murderer!” some demonstrators shouted. The Turkish government is allowing “young girls to be killed,” said activist Günes Fadime Aksahin, who is one of the leaders of the protests. The protests against femicide that began in university towns have now spread to conservative cities such as Sanliurfa in southeastern Turkey.
“We want to decide for ourselves how we want to live.”
Just last week, two 19-year-old women were murdered by the same man in Istanbul. The man attacked the women within 30 minutes of each other. He beheaded one of them before committing suicide. The perpetrator is said to have suffered from a mental disorder – a common claim in femicides. The cause, however, is the prevailing patriarchal mentality, said the spokeswoman for an association of young feminists in a speech according to AFN News: “We want to decide for ourselves how we want to live. It is not women who kill men. In this country, women are murdered every day Murdered by men, that’s what we’re talking about here. The problem is the order based on male dominance.”
299 murders, more than 160 “suspicious deaths”
Violence against women is not uncommon in Turkey. Since the beginning of the year, a women’s rights organization has registered not only 299 murders of women but also more than 160 “suspicious deaths” that were officially classified as suicides or accidents. The activists are calling on the government to take action against violence against women. On Wednesday, Erdogan, who had previously blamed the acts of violence on alcohol and online networks, announced that criminal law would be tightened. In 2021, Turkey left the Istanbul Convention for the Protection of Women, which obliges its member states to use laws to protect women from violence and to take action against acts of violence. The withdrawal was justified on the grounds that the convention threatened traditional family values and promoted homosexuality.
October 11, 2024
According to a global estimate, 370 million girls are victims of sexual violence
The data collected by UNICEF On the occasion of World Girls’ Day on October 11th, sexual violence against girls and underage women is shocking. One in eight girls in the world has been raped or experienced a sexual assault before the age of 18. The number of victims is particularly high in war or crisis regions. It is assumed worldwide More than 370 million girls and underage women affected out of. When “non-contact” forms of sexual violence such as online or verbal violence are included, the number of girls and women affected worldwide rises to 650 million – or one in five.
Teenage girls between the ages of 14 and 17 are particularly at risk, says Claudia Cappa, child protection expert at UNICEF in New York and head of the survey, as the Tagesschau reports. The Perpetrator are often men from the family environment whom the girls had trusted. The United Nations Children’s Fund speaks of a “stain on our moral conscience.” Sexual violence causes deep and lasting trauma, often at the hands of someone the child knows and trusts, in places where they should feel safe.
Data covers 80 percent of the world’s population
UNICEF has presented these figures for the first time. The data comes from representative surveys in 120 countries, carried out between 2010 and 2022. The results cover 80 percent of the world’s population, says Cappa: “These are household surveys carried out by state statistical offices. So they are an estimate and not one Count.” Nevertheless, global and regional estimates show the enormous extent of sexual violence against children worldwide, particularly among teenage girls.
Even though the United Nations Children’s Fund is focusing on sexual violence against girls on the occasion of World Day of the Girl on October 11th – UNICEF emphasizes that also boys victims of rape and abuse are. But there are still significant data gaps and a high number of unreported cases.
In order to better protect girls from sexual violence, not only harsher punishments are needed for the perpetrators: “We have to combat gender inequality, as well as false ideas about masculinity and men’s sexual entitlement, as well as the stigmatization of victims,” says Cappa and demands all states to intervene. Next month will take place in Colombia first global ministerial conference on violence against children instead of.
October 1, 2024
This trick is intended to protect against forced marriage
On social media, users are asked to share videos with the hashtag #Spoontrick in order to protect girls and young women in particular from forced marriages. For victims who are sent abroad against their will to be married off by their families, and who are sometimes even detained beforehand, airport security can be the last chance to escape the horror.
The women should stick a spoon in their underwear and draw attention to themselves. The spoon triggers an alarm during the security check, which allows the person to then ask for help during the subsequent search. Both the airport staff and the federal police are aware of the signal and encourage those affected to contact them.
The spoon in the underpants
However, the following applies: “The tip that you stick a spoon in your underwear is only intended for an absolute emergency, if you actually have no opportunity to seek help beforehand because, for example, you were locked up before departure,” says Myria Böhmecke from the “Terre Des Femmes” association opposite RTL. If you suspect something, it is better to tell someone you trust sooner or to contact a professional advice center, says Böhmecke.
In Germany – as in many other countries – forced marriage is prohibited. This is why it often happens that minors are lured under a hypocritical pretext or even kidnapped abroad. In many cases, it is almost impossible to resist such a forced marriage, which is why women’s rights activists keep thinking about ways to help those affected.