Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Center for Women Studies (CWS) and Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Support Unit (SHA) released a joint statement on recent statements concerning violence against women and femicide in our country. The statement by EMU CWS and EMU SHA reads as follows:
“The rapid increase in violence against women and femicide in our country in recent times has created a deeply distressing situation that pushes the limits of our collective tolerance and wounds our conscience. Violence against women is the result of a systemic problem that cannot be reduced to isolated incidents or individual causes, and it also seriously undermines public confidence in justice.
It is not possible to consider the social and legal dimensions of the issue separately. Law shapes society, just as society shapes law. It is evident that the legislation currently in force is inadequate to address the problem of violence against women and prevent the killing of women, which has now reached the scale of gendercide, particularly when shortcomings in its implementation are taken into consideration. At the same time, it must also be acknowledged that legislative amendments alone cannot produce effective results in addressing the psychosocial dimension of violence.
First and foremost, the protective measures and enforcement mechanisms provided for under the existing laws must be fully and promptly implemented. Concurrently, effective and comprehensive legislation that fulfils the requirements of a social state must be drafted and enacted to prevent violence, protect those subjected to violence, and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable. It must also be ensured that these legal provisions do not remain merely on paper but are properly and effectively implemented in practice.
Throughout this process, the experience of professionals working in the field to combat violence against women, as well as the expertise of academics at universities, should be drawn upon. As EMU CWS and EMU SHA, we hereby affirm that all relevant centers and units of our University stand ready and willing to contribute in every possible way to efforts aimed at developing legal and psychosocial solutions. In view of the urgency and gravity of the situation, we once again emphasize the need for these efforts to be initiated without further delay.
Respectfully submitted for the attention of the public.”