MERSİN - According to the annual report of rights violations announced by the İHD Mersin Branch Women’s Commission, 50 women have applied for a violation of their rights in the last one year.

The Mersin Branch Women's Commission of the Human Rights Association (İHD) announced the report it prepared on the violations of women's rights in the city between March 2020 and April 2021. In the statement made in the building of the association, a banner writing "We do not give up on the Istanbul Convention" was hung.

Zeynep Benli, member of the Women's Commission of the İHD Mersin Branch, who read the report, said that a total of 50 applications for violation of rights were made, 36 applications in 2020 and 14 applications until April 2021. Emphasizing that the violations of women's rights continue to increase, Zeynep stated that they provide legal support to those who apply to their association.

‘Violence was legitimized by the state’

Noting that in the last year, there have been applications to them in the city on issues such as gunshot wounds, violence, harassment, and child abuse, Zeynep said that with the decision to terminate the Istanbul Convention, violence was legitimized by the state. Zeynep stated that women are exposed to violence in prisons and there are violations of rights due to naked search, and that violence cases occur both in prisons and during referrings. Zeynep emphasized that there is no solution to the problems of women with children in prisons.

‘Women will continue to fight’

Pointing out that the femicides continue to increase, Zeynep also pointed out that refugee women are exposed to all kinds of labor exploitation, violence, discrimination, harassment, and rape.

Zeynep stated that the Istanbul Convention cannot be abolished, said: "Turkey should fulfill the obligations of the Convention, which cannot be changed according to the 90th article of the Constitution and apply the articles in the law numbered 6284 against violence against women. Women will not give up their rights, they will continue to fight for their rights."