Justice Minister Akın Gürlek on Tuesday reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to combating violence against women, saying that legal measures alone are not sufficient and that effective coordination among institutions and greater public awareness are essential to addressing the issue.
Speaking at the 19th Meeting of the Coordination Board for Combating Violence Against Women in Ankara, Gürlek said the government maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward violence against women and continues to strengthen legal and institutional mechanisms to protect victims.
“We can never accept even a single woman being subjected to violence,” Gürlek said during the meeting, which was also attended by Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi, Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş and Religious Affairs President Safi Arpaguş.
The justice minister highlighted a series of reforms introduced in recent years, including constitutional amendments guaranteeing women’s rights and legal changes that increased penalties for crimes committed against women.
Gürlek noted that intentional injury against women is now considered grounds for detention, while persistent stalking has been established as a separate criminal offense. He also said provisions allowing sentence reductions for so-called “good conduct” in crimes against women had been removed.
