In Türkiye, four out of every ten women are subjected to physical or sexual violence; one in every two women faces psychological violence, and one in three women faces the threat of economic violence. Within the scope of the partnership between the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Ministry of Interior that aims to eliminate violence against women and children since 2018, 60 police and gendarmerie personnel from all regions of Türkiye came together in the 9th session of the “Training of Trainers on Combating Domestic Violence and Violence Against Women for Law Enforcement” in Ankara on 7-11 October. A total of 540 law enforcement personnel have received training as part of the program.
ANKARA, TÜRKİYE - Violence against women and children is one of the most common human rights violations in the world, threatening the integrity of families and the health of women and children. UNFPA Türkiye and the Ministry of Interior continue to provide training for law enforcement officers with the aim of strengthening law enforcement in the fight against domestic violence and violence against women, empowering law enforcement forces and ensuring that relevant public institutions work more effectively in coordination.
Within the scope of the 9th round of the “Training of Trainers on Combating Domestic Violence and Violence Against Women for Law Enforcement”, which was held in Ankara on 7-11 October and attended by 60 police and gendarmerie personnel from 44 provinces of Türkiye, a wide range of issues were addressed such as national and international legislation on violence against women, the definition and forms of violence, violence against migrant women, the effects of violence on women's health, the roles and responsibilities of law enforcement officers in combating violence against women and child marriages, inter-institutional coordination, communication with the victim, and self-care.
Mehmet Emin Bilmez, Director General for Provincial Administration of Ministry of Interior, who attended the closing event of the training program, emphasized the importance of coordination among a various public institutions including the United Nations Population Fund, General Directorate of Security, and General Command of Gendarmerie in combating violence against women. “These training sessions enabled our law enforcement units to fight in a more effective, more productive and more socially friendly way when they operate on the ground. Training not only makes their job easier, but also makes a significant contribution to the future of our society.” he said. He emphasized that the Ministry is working to protect both social peace and families and young people more effectively through this program.
UNFPA Gender Programme Specialist Yasemin Akis Kalaylıoğlu emphasized the importance of cooperation in the fight against violence against women and said, “Our goal is to carry out a victim-centered, multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder and holistic fight against violence against women. Together with different public institutions, we are carrying out exemplary case studies to end violence against women in line with the Leave No One Behind principle, including migrant women.” she said.
An important multi-stakeholder workshop was also held within the scope of the training. Police officers and gendarmeries who participated in the training had the opportunity to discuss the issue of violence against women with representatives from the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Family and Social Services, Ministry of Health, Presidency of Migration Management, General Directorate of Security and Gendarmerie General Command in an interactive way and to raise the issues they encounter in the field.
Law enforcement personnel who attended the training agree that today, different groups and different forms of violence require specialized approaches. Bilal Köstekli, a police officer working in Manisa, said, “During the training, we learned that violence is a social issue as well as a judicial case; We found an environment to discuss in depth the causes and consequences of violence. Especially in this period when the forms of violence are transforming, we have had the opportunity to expand our horizons on issues such as intimate partner violence and digital violence," he said, adding that they gained a new and broad perspective on this issue through the training.
Hatice Kırlar, a police officer working in Kayseri, said, “We learned how to approach the person who is subjected to violence as well as the perpetrator. We discussed the issue comprehensively from the very beginning and talked about how we could get results. We discussed victim-centered approaches and transparency," she said, and underlined that she will return to duty as a more specialized personnel while emphasizing the benefits of the training.
UNFPA Türkiye and the Ministry of Interior have been organizing “Training of Trainers on Combating Domestic Violence and Violence Against Women for Law Enforcement” since 2018, empowering the police and gendarmerie personnel who are at the frontline in the fight against domestic violence and violence against women, with the aim to strengthen law enforcement and a stronger and holistic approach on the issue. The sustainability of the training program, which is closely monitored and supported through regular supervision sessions and follow-up surveys, is aimed through the pool of trainers and training of master trainers in the coming period.
