‘As long as perpetrators go unpunished, no woman is safe’ 

2025-12-29 11:21:57


	AMED – Women in Amed drew attention to impunity in crimes against women, stating that “As long as perpetrators go unpunished, no woman is safe.”

	Across Kurdistan and Turkey, each new day begins with reports of violence and massacres against women. While incidents of violence, harassment, pressure and rape continue to rise, the policy of impunity is seen as encouraging perpetrators to commit further crimes. 

	 

	We spoke with women on the streets of Amed (Diyarbakır) about the increasing number of femicides. Berfin Kurt said that women are unable to move freely and emphasized that perpetrators now dare to kill women anywhere. Stating that women cannot seek their rights through legal channels, Kurt criticized the country’s justice system.

	 

	“When we raise our voices, we fear that punishment will be imposed not on the perpetrator but on us. We are subjected to violence and silenced through the judiciary. In cases of suspicious women’s deaths, in-depth investigations must be carried out and more legal regulations must be introduced to protect women,” she said.

	 

	‘JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED’

	 

	Emphasizing that women do not feel safe, Sena Var said that femicides have become normalized. “Women are killed because they try to secure their freedom. These murders stem from the failure to punish perpetrators. Justice must be served,” she said.

	 

	Filiz Öztürk said no one feels safe anymore and added: “No living being deserves death. Due to the increase in killings, we have started putting pressure on our children out of fear, harming their psychological well-being. As a society, we need to change.”

	 

	‘DETERRENT SENTENCES MUST BE IMPOSED’

	 

	Ceylan Demir stated that femicides are increasing because perpetrators who are taken into custody are later released. “If this continues, more women will be murdered,” she said.

	 

	Serap Kaçar noted that women cannot express themselves as freely as men and said perpetrators no longer fear being detained.

	 

	Hatice Altıntop said, “Deterrent sentences must be imposed on those who kill women,” while Remziye Toprak stated, “There must be unity against massacres and violence. Women must stand on their own feet and not be dependent on men.”

	 

	MA / Heval Onkol