Men Kill 15 Women Across Turkey in May

Men killed 15 women and two babies in May, while they also injured 32 women, raped nine and sexually harassed yet another nine women, according to news stories compiled by bianet from local and national newspapers and news agencies.

The Mediterranean region and the southern province of Adana stood out as the most violent areas in the tally. Three women were also murdered and five critically wounded by men whom they had filed a criminal complaint against with the prosecutor's office or the police on the grounds they had subjected them to violence.

A staggering number of 71 women lost their lives due to acts of violence by men during the first quarter of 2012. Men also subjected 109 women to violence during the same period, raped 41 and sexually harassed 76 women.

Murder

Men took the lives of 15 women and two babies across 11 provinces in May. One man committed suicide following the murder, while another man also attempted the act.

The victims' husbands turned out to be their worst nemesis, as they constituted the culprits in the largest number of murder cases in May. Nine women were killed by their husbands, and four by their boyfriends, while authorities also failed to identify the perpetrators in two cases.

One man murdered his wife on his way back from the courtroom where he had been released on bail after receiving a sentence on the charge of domestic violence. Another man killed his wife only a day before their divorce suit, after she had filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office and whom authorities had consequently placed in a shelter home. Yet another man committed murder against his wife only two days after authorities released him from custody after taking his testimony for domestic violence.

Knives were the preferred weapon of choice for the perpetrators who stabbed nine women to death in May, killed another four with firearms and one by strangling.

The Aegean province of İzmir led the country in women's murders with four victims in May, followed by the central province of Konya with two women killed in the same month. The southern province of Adana, the central province of Aksaray, the capital Ankara, the southeastern province of Hakkari, Istanbul, the central province of Kayseri, the western province of Manisa, the Black Sea province of Sinop and the northwestern province of Tekirdağ all followed in turn with a single woman killed in each province in May.

The culprits' ages ranged between 22 and 62, while the victims were as young as 17, and as old as 56.

Violence - Injury

Men injured 32 women in 19 provinces in May, with Adana province leading the country in terms of the rate of women subjected to violence.

Men subjected seven women to violence in Adana, three in Istanbul, three in İzmir, two in Konya and two in Ankara. The western provinces of Afyon, Denizli, Manisa and Muğla the northwestern provinces of Bolu and Bursa, the southern province of Antalya, the central provinces of Kayseri and Tokat, the eastern provinces of Maraş and Sivas and the Black Sea provinces of Samsun, Sinop and Trabzon all followed thereafter with a single woman subjected to violence in May.

Four such cases of domestic violence took place outdoors, according to reports.

The victims' husbands were the culprits in the largest number of cases of violence toward women. 12 women were subjected to violence by their husbands, six by their former husbands, three by their husbands whom they wanted to divorce, two by their husbands with whom they had married through a religious (unofficial) ceremony, one by her husband with whom they had parted their homes with, two by their sons, one by her student, two by their patients and two by male strangers.

Men battered 22 women in May and critically wounded four with sharp objects and one with a pistol. Two men intentionally hit women while driving a motor vehicle, and one poured boiling oil over his victim.

One woman had filed a complaint against her husband three times over but to no avail. Another had filed a suit three times over, and her husband was released on bail. One of the culprit's restraining order had just expired two months ago, while another was still under a restraining order. Another had been imprisoned but then released after his wife retracted her complaint. One other woman was also attacked by her husband while she was on her way to the prosecutor's office to press charges against him.

One woman jumped off the balcony on the third floor of a building to escape from violence, while another man took his child hostage after beating his wife. A man who critically injured his wife committed suicide, and a male child and his mother who were subjected to violence both took their own lives as well.

13 women were hospitalized in consequence of male violence; five pressed charges against men who subjected them to violence, and one requested protection.

One man turned himself over to law enforcement officials after an incident of violence; eight were taken under custody; three were released after they testified; three were arrested, and one was released pending trial. Authorities also issued restraining orders for two other men.

The ages of men who employed violence against women in May ranged between 23 and 55, while their victims' ages ranged between 21 and 51.

Rape

Men raped nine women in May across seven provinces. Antalya and Samsun led the list with two women raped in each province, while Bolu, Istanbul, Muğla and the southeastern provinces of Diyarbakır and Şırnak followed with a single woman raped in each province.

Three women were raped by male strangers, two by their husbands with whom they were involved in divorce suits, one by her co-worker, one by her teacher and one by her boyfriend. Another woman's family also forced her into prostitution.

One case of rape took place at home, two at the workplace, while the others occurred outdoors on the street. Authorities arrested two men in connection with rape charges and released another pending trial.

The perpetrators' ages ranged between 23 and 35, while the ages of rape victims also ranged between 16 and 36.

Sexual harassment

Men sexually harassed nine women across seven provinces in May. Antalya led the tally in sexual harassment with three women, followed by Ankara, Bursa, Istanbul, Samsun, the southern province of Osmaniye and the western province of Aydın.

Male strangers were the culprits in the largest number of cases of sexual harassment. Six women were harassed by strangers, one by her teacher, one by her co-worker and another by her relative.

Four cases of sexual harassment took place on the street, three at home, one at the workplace and one at school.

Three men were arrested on charges of sexual harassment, three taken under custody and one was relieved of his duties, while another man took advantage of the law on probation.

The perpetrators' ages ranged between 18 and 71, and the victims' ages ranged between 17 and 38.

Violence begets violence

A woman sexually harassed by her boyfriend stabbed him, while a woman's family killed her boyfriend after he kidnapped her and subjected her to violence. Another woman also shot her son-in-law dead with a rifle after he battered her daughter.

Violence, rape and harassment by region

Men either murdered, attempted to murder, subjected to violence, raped, sexually harassed or injured 63 women in all across 25 provinces in May, while the Mediterranean region ranked at the top of the list.

15 cases took place in the Mediterranean region, 14 in the Aegean region, 12 in Central Anatolia, 10 in the Black Sea region, nine in the Marmara region, two in Eastern Anatolia and one in southeastern Anatolia.

Adana topped the list in terms of overall violence with eight cases. (Ç.T.)