A Nation in Mourning: The Rising Tide of Femicides in Turkiye
Written by U. O. – A sociologist from Turkiye
The Femicides, Then and Now
These recent atrocities have been a breaking point for the women of Türkiye, who no longer feel safe walking down the streets, not even in the very neighbourhoods they grew up in.
There have been numerous protests and public outcry, reaching a breaking point following the double femicide of two 19-year-old girls (İkbal and Ayşenur) by a male murderer of the same age on 4 October 2024. The victims were the current and ex-girlfriend of the murderer and were killed within hours of each other. Following the murders, the killer gruesomely dismembered his victims to fit a grotesque design he had drawn beforehand. Ayşenur was his first victim, and İkbal was the second. İkbal was tragically murdered in public, in broad daylight, on the ancient walls of Istanbul. The police failed to arrive on time, leaving İkbal’s mother pleading for her daughter’s life. The killer then beheaded İkbal and threw her head from the walls before committing suicide by jumping.
The manner in which these murders were committed caused immediate public outrage, especially after it emerged that just a few days earlier, on the morning of 1 October 2024, two men who had attempted to rape a woman in Istanbul’s central Beyoğlu district were released despite the attack being recorded on security cameras. The victim later withdrew her complaint, reportedly due to fear. Following public outcry, the perpetrators were re-arrested, and the Beyoğlu Municipality announced it would become a plaintiff in the case.
Just a week before these events, another highly publicised femicide took place in Istanbul. A 27-year-old female police officer, Şeyda Yılmaz, was shot by a 19-year-old male suspect with a record of 26 prior crimes. The mother of the murderer publicly stated that her son was a drug addict and dealer. She revealed she had repeatedly contacted authorities, begging them to intervene, and questioned why her son had been allowed to walk freely despite his extensive criminal record. This case sparked public debate about the growing impunity for criminals in Türkiye, especially for crimes against vulnerable groups such as women, children, and animals.
These are, tragically, only the more publicised cases. According to Anıt Sayaç (a project documenting femicides in Türkiye), 320 women were victims of femicide in Türkiye as of 20 October 2024.
Crimes Against Children
The disappearance of a child in Diyarbakır, eastern Türkiye, on 21 August 2024 made headlines when she was found dead on 8 September near a riverbank 2km from her village. Eight-year-old Narin was last seen leaving a Quran school. A man later confessed to burying Narin’s body, claiming he had been offered 200,000 lira to dispose of it by the village muhtar (administrator). The confessor mentioned performing namaz (Islamic prayer) after burying the body, seemingly trying to appeal to Islamic sensibilities. However, this backfired, as many condemned him for hiding behind religion. The motives for Narin’s murder remain unknown.
In another case, 21-year-old Rojin, a university student from Van, went missing after leaving her dormitory and was later found dead. Her cause of death remains undetermined. Other unrelated cases of missing women and children have been reported across various cities in eastern Türkiye in the days following these events.
A separate case in Tekirdağ shocked the nation when a two-year-old baby died after a month in hospital due to sexual abuse. These incidents, coinciding with a period of increasing femicides, also highlighted the rise in crimes against children in Türkiye.
Crimes Against Animals
Türkiye recently enacted controversial laws regarding stray animals, which have drawn severe backlash from animal rights groups and the public. These laws have been criticised for encouraging the systemic killing of stray animals. On 11 October 2024, tens of animals were found poisoned and stuffed into trash bags in front of an animal shelter in Gebze. This was the largest known case of animal killings in the country, with some of the animals still alive and fighting for survival when discovered. Following the passage of these laws, reports of stray animals being randomly killed have increased.
The Public Response
These horrifying events led to a surge in the sales of personal-use pepper sprays and sparked large-scale protests across Türkiye. One protest took place in front of the ancient walls of Istanbul, where İkbal was murdered. Women took to the streets in Istanbul, Ankara, Bodrum, and Kütahya, demanding stronger enforcement of laws and Türkiye’s return to the Istanbul Convention.
The main opposition party, CHP, organised a walk on International Day of the Girl Child to highlight the rise in crimes against girl children.
In response to the animal killings, a protest was held in front of the Gebze Municipality, attended by high-profile celebrities. Supporters of the new laws pertaining to stray animals attempted to justify them using Islamic arguments, appealing to extremist religious groups in the country.