The text, drawn up within the framework of the Council of Europe Convention, came into force in August 2014, when it was signed by more than 30 countries to combat violence against women.

In March, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Turkey’s withdrawal from the Convention on the argument that it ‘normalizes homosexuality’, while opposition parties and feminist organizations assured that such a decision is an electoral strategy to win votes among the most conservative sectors of the country.

Non-governmental organizations and the European Union asked Erdogan to reconsider the decision, while the country’s highest administrative court on Monday rejected an appeal to overturn the Government’s decision.

The Turkish president assured that the withdrawal does not imply a setback for women in terms of rights and freedoms.

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