Council Decision 2006/35/EC(1) of
23 January 2006 on the principles, priorities and conditions
contained in the accession partnership with Turkey stipulates that
Turkey must implement legislation relating to women's rights,
particularly the civil code, the new penal code and the law on the
protection of the family. In addition, it must pursue measures
against all forms of violence against women, including crimes
committed in the name of honour, ensure specialised training for
judges and prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, municipalities and
other responsible institutions, and establish shelters for women at
risk of violence in all larger municipalities, in line with current
legislation.
As the Commission admits in its most recent progress report in
November 2006, according to Dr Leyla Pervizat, a Turkish human
rights activist, violence against women is still a major problem
which is not being taken seriously. Dr Pervizat stresses the
need to include a provision regarding crimes of honour in the
Turkish penal code, which currently only contains a provision
concerning murders motivated by certain traditions and customs
(Georgia Schultze, ‘Turkish women place their hopes in the EU’,
Kurier, 4 January 2007).
What view does the Commission take of Dr Leyla Pervizat's
observations? Is the implementation of existing provisions
sufficient for the Commission or is it necessary for the Turkish
penal code to be amended, as indicated above?
The Commission, in the context of its 2006
Progress Report on Turkey, has taken note of the fact that crimes in
the name of honour continue to occur and that there is still a lack
of reliable data on such events. The view was also taken that the
legal framework is satisfactory overall but that implementation
remains a challenge.
Thus, although the Commission follows with
interest the debate in Turkey about the use of the most appropriate
term, 'honour' or 'custom/moral' crime, efforts should focus on the
implementation of the current legislation such that the provisions
of the new Penal Code listing moral killings as an aggravated
circumstance for murder crimes are implemented by Courts
consistently throughout the
country.
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Subject: Honour
Killings in Turkey
