Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention – a setback for women and women’s rights

On the night of March 20, Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention. What does this mean for the girls and women in the country? What is the Luxembourgish government’s stand on this matter? What will the European Union do in this situation? Can the United Nations use their influence to reverse this decision? MP Gusty Graas asked the Foreign Minister and the Minister for Gender Equality on these issues.

« Ce 19 mars 2021, la Turquie a quitté la Convention d’Istanbul, premier instrument au monde pour prévenir et combattre la violence contre les femmes. Désormais, le gouvernement du président Recep Tayyip Erdogan, n’est plus dans l’obligation d’adopter une législation réprimant les violences domestiques et d’autres abus y compris le viol conjugal et la mutilation génitale féminine.

La prévention de la violence, la protection des victimes et la répression des auteurs ne sont donc plus assurées. Les femmes se retrouvent proies abandonnées par leur gouvernement, dans une société où, pour une grande partie, la culture, la tradition et le concept de l’’honneur’ promeuvent une misogynie qui continue à peser lourd sur leurs libertés individuelles.

Alarmé par ce développement, le groupe ‘UN Women’ a fait part de ses soucis et préoccupations dans une prise de position à la suite du retrait de la Turquie de la charte. Outre l’existence alarmante de violences contre les femmes, le groupe a évoqué l’augmentation des violences depuis la crise sanitaire, et urge la Turquie de reconsidérer la décision du retrait. Des articles de presse évoquent une augmentation inquiétante de meurtres chaque année, le chiffre noir étant encore plus élevé si les assassinats officiellement déclarés comme suicides sont également pris en compte.

Dans ce contexte, j’aimerais poser les questions suivantes à Monsieur le Ministre des Affaires étrangères et européennes et à Madame la Ministre de l’Égalité entre les Femmes et les Hommes:

  • Quels sont les conséquences immédiates pour les filles et femmes en Turquie ?
  • Quelle est la position du Luxembourg envers cette décision et quelles conséquences en tirera le Grand-Duché ?
  • Est-ce que l’Union européenne cherchera le dialogue avec le gouvernement turc à ce sujet ? Est-ce que l’Union européenne a prévu des sanctions contre la Turquie pour cause de la décision du retrait de la Convention d’Istanbul ?
  • La résolution 1325 (2000) du Conseil de Sécurité des Nations Unies fixe au niveau national et international entre autres les objectifs de prévenir les violences sexuelles contre les femmes et les violences basées sur le genre et exige des membres un renforcement des mécanismes de protection dans ce contexte. Quelle sera la réaction des Nations Unies, dans le cadre de la décision turque d’ôter les femmes de leur droit de mener une vie en toute sécurité ? »

Answer

Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has led to further escalation of violence against women and girls around the world. The Luxembourg government reaffirms its support and reiterates its willingness to continue to fight together against all forms of violence against women and girls. Luxembourg deeply regrets the decision of the Turkish President to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention. Each state is free to sign and ratify international treaties – that said – Turkey remains bound to the international instruments that it has ratified or to which it has acceded, in particular the Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, whose provisions it must respect.

Would you like this parliamentary question to be translated into English?

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
WhatsApp

More parliamentary questions

How long are the waiting times at the “Travel Clinic”?

If you are travelling to tropical regions, you can get advice and be vaccinated against various diseases at the CHL’s “Travel Clinic”. However, the waiting times at this clinic are currently said to be quite long.
DP MPs Dr Gérard Schockmel and Gilles Baum have asked the Minister of Health how many patients have been seen at the “Travel Clinic” over the last ten years, how waiting times have developed over this period and whether it would not make sense to make it possible to book appointments online, as is the case with many other CHL services.

read more...

How can the nursing assistant profession be upgraded?

The shortage of nursing staff is one of the biggest challenges facing the current government. In this context, DP MPs André Bauler and Gilles Baum wanted to know from the Minister of Health, among other things, how many nursing assistants are currently working in the country, how many have changed careers in recent years and what measures the government intends to take to make the profession more attractive again.

read more...

Medical referrals abroad

Since 1 June 2025, doctors have to fill out a new form if they want to send a patient abroad for treatment. The doctor must now indicate whether or not the services can be provided in Luxembourg within an ‘acceptable period’. If the doctor indicates that the services could actually be provided in Luxembourg, the referral request is automatically rejected.
DP MP Dr Gérard Schockmel has asked the Minister of Health whether the mere reduction to the ‘acceptable period’, without taking into account the quality of care, might not lead to unjustified rejections and whether the new form might not force doctors to provide false information in order to guarantee their patients the best possible care.

read more...

How many doctors work in the north of the country?

In the north of the country, citizens often have to travel long distances to get to a clinic or medical centre.
DP MPs André Bauler and Gilles Baum asked the Minister for Health, among other things, how many GPs and specialists work in the north of the country, what the age pyramid is for doctors and when a second medical centre might open in the north.

read more...