Country of origin information report Turkey March 2007

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22.47 The International Herald Tribune article further stated that:
“In an effort to bring honor killings out from underground, Ka-Mer, a local women's group, has created a hotline for women who fear their lives are at risk. Ka-Mer finds shelter for the women and helps them to apply to the courts for restraining orders against relatives who have threatened them. Ayten Tekay, a caseworker for KaMer in Diyarbakir, the regional center, said that of the 104 women who had called Ka-Mer this year, the laws have been changed, but the culture here will not change overnight.” [82]
22.48 The EC 2006 report documented that:
“According to the preliminary results of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, causes of suicides are early and forced marriages, domestic violence and denial of reproductive rights. Poverty, urbanisation, displacement and internal migration, and thus changing socioeconomic situation of women are the contexts within which suicides occur. Women’s suicides are not always properly investigated, especially in the Southeast.” [71a] (p18)
22.49 As noted in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Human Rights Annual Report 2006, released in October 2006:
“We are concerned by reports of a sharp rise in female suicides since the introduction of the new penal code. Yakin Erturk, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, visited Turkey in June 2006 to investigate this trend and is currently preparing a report; we look forward to reading her findings and recommendations. Local initiatives, led by women’s NGOs, include setting up advice centres and specialist suicide units for women.” [4n] (p138)
Treatment of women in detention
22.50 The International Helsinki Federation (IHF) for Human Rights 2006 Turkey report noted:
“Since 2003, the government has improved the legislation and regulations concerning detention conditions and the rights of detainees, in connection with the EU accession process. The government declared a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy on torture but rejected any debate with human rights organizations on the issue, and reacted negatively to arguments and initiatives by these organizations. CPT commended the Turkish normative framework as one of the most elaborate in combating torture while pointing to deficiencies in the implementation. Torture and ill-treatment was still widespread and the government extended impunity to the police and gendarmerie accused of torture. Turkish human rights organizations stated that the safeguards provided by the government were not always respected in practice by the security forces despite progressive improvement.” [10a] (p440)
See also Section 11 Arrest and Detention-Legal Rights