No safe place for women: Detecting women murders and suicides in Turkey with a specific emphasis on domestic violence

Alanur Cavlin Bozbeyoglu, Middle East Technical University
Ilknur Yuksel, Hacettepe University

Murder and suicide are the final points of violence. Although there are variety of reasons, significant amount of women murders and suicides are the consequences of domestic violence in Turkey. This study aims to analyses women murders and suicides in Turkey with a specific emphasis on domestic violence. Analyses are based on National Maternal Mortality Study (NMMS) which registered all women deaths aged 12-50 in 29 provinces of Turkey in one year period between June 2005 and May 2006. Results show that 38 women were murdered while 65 committed suicide. 15 of murders and 10 of suicides are consequence family pressure or domestic violence. 2 of the murdered women were single, 7 of them were married, and 6 of them were divorced or separated at the time of homicide. Both single women were died by their brothers. One of the women killed since she escaped with a man to marry. Other killed since her brother believes that she has sexual relation with her boyfriend. All married women were killed by their husbands and divorced/separated women were killed by their ex-husbands. The ground of killing of married women is continuing domestic violence and elective problems of husband outside home. The major ground of killing of divorced/separated women is their willingness to divorce. Single women commit suicide since their family averts them to marry or they are forced to marry, and they have pre-marital sexual relations. Reason of suicide of married and divorced women is domestic violence. Violence is usually rooted from their husband or ex-husband. Some cases husband’s family also practices violence. In some cases husbands threat women to not let her to see their children. There is a very strong relation between women murders and suicides in the case of Turkey. Domestic violence is the major reason of the women’s homicide and suicide.