Istanbul Convention

Istanbul Convention or Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence is a landmark human rights treaty that seeks to protect women from violence. It was signed in 2011. Under the treaty, men and women are recognised as having equal rights and the state is obliged to take measures to prevent gender based violence. Recently, Turkey withdrew from the treaty arguing that it is undermining it’s traditional family system, promoting homosexuality and is encouraging divorces.