REPUBLIC OF TÜRKİYE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE

MINISTER TUNÇ: WE NEVER TOLERATE EVEN A SINGLE WOMAN, EVEN A SINGLE MOTHER, BEING SUBJECTED TO VIOLENCE OR INJUSTICE

Mr. Yılmaz TUNÇ, the Minister of Justice, stated “No woman is alone in this country. The law stands by them. The door of justice is on their side. We never tolerate even a single woman, even a single mother, being subjected to violence or injustice or being dishonoured”.

Mr. Yılmaz TUNÇ, the Minister of Justice, and Ms. Mahinur ÖZDEMİR GÖKTAŞ, the Minister of Family and Social Services, attended the International Symposium on Family Law organized in Ankara. Speaking at the opening of the symposium jointly held by the European Union and the Justice Academy of Türkiye within the framework of the “Joint Project on Improving the Effectiveness of Family Courts: Better Protection of the Rights of Family Members”, Minister of Justice Tunç noted that nearly 8 thousand people had lost their lives in Israel’s inhumane attacks.

NEARLY 8 THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES

Noting that one of the greatest shameful scenes that history had ever witnessed was taking place in Gaza, Minister Tunç said “Our Minister of Foreign Affairs has engaged in an intense diplomatic activity and exerted vigorous efforts to stop the killing of children, the killing of civilians there. We want the whole world to speak up here. We see and appreciate here that the European Union and the Council of Europe are sensitive about women’s rights and children rights. While the representatives of the European Union and the Council of Europe were expressing their opinions regarding the protection of women and children here, we would also expect them to say ‘As the European Union and the Council of Europe, we are speaking up loudly to stop the killing of women and children in Palestine.’. Also, from now on, we are expecting this. Nearly 8 thousand people lost their lives in these inhumane attacks. These are civilians, more than 3,500 of them are children, 444 babies are being killed, and the world remains silent. Unfortunately, we all regretfully see that while one-year-old babies are dying under bombs regardless of their religion, language, race or colour, the silence of the world leaders and the heads of States and governments comes to mean they are complicit in the killing of those babies. Israel must be prevented from acting like an organisation.”.

WE ARE SENSITIVE ABOUT THE PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND THE PROTECTION OF WOMEN

Referring to the regulations and works on family at the constitutional level at the Symposium, TUNÇ said the following:

“Meeting the practical needs in the field of family law has been among our primary goals until today. In the last 21 years, we have made numerous regulations especially in the field of women’s rights and family law, which amounted to a silent revolution at the constitutional level. In 2003, we ensured the establishment of family courts. In 2004, we introduced the Constitutional amendment prescribing that women and men have equal rights. In 2010, we introduced a constitutional guarantee for positive discrimination for women. In 2011, the Ministry of Family was established. In 2012, a legal regulation of utmost importance, the Law on the Protection of Family and the Prevention of Violence against Women, entered into force. At this point, we would especially like to express this: Concerning violence against women, we are sensitive about the protection of women, and we appreciate the meticulous works of our members of the judiciary in the implementation of this Law. Ensuring the establishment of the Department of Judicial Support and Victim Services within the Ministry of Justice in 2020 in accordance with the Presidential Decree, we aimed at protecting the victims of crime, especially children and women, during the judicial process.”

WE PUT JUVENILE JUSTICE CENTRES INTO OPERATION

Minister TUNÇ stated that they had implemented many innovations expanding the rights of children as well as women in the last 21 years. Tunç continued as follows:

“I would like to express that significant progress has been made not only in terms of the arrangements in the Constitution but also the protection measures for children within the scope of the Child Protection Law of 2005. With the regulations we have made in our criminal legislation, we continue to make both important regulations and practices regarding the juvenile criminal justice system. Recently in particular, we have started to put juvenile justice centres into operation. The first applications have started in some of our provinces. Our children will be subjected to judicial investigations and prosecutions in separate courthouses, and we are endeavouring to ensure that the proceedings are performed by considering the best interests of the child without causing them any harm. We have also found a solution to the issue of child delivery, which has been discussed for years. There again, we have implemented a legal regulation to ensure that child delivery is carried out not through enforcement offices, but under the coordination of the Department of Judicial Support and Victim Services under the Ministry of Justice, the judicial support and victim services directorates in the provinces and districts, in the absence of such directorates, under the coordination of registrars in civil courts of first instance and family courts and to eliminate those ugly images of the child being forcibly transferred from one side to another like an object, which disturbed us all and wrenched our hearts; and we have done it free of charge.” 

WE ARE LOOKING OUT FOR THE BEST INTERESTS OF CHILDREN

Stating that they had expanded the child interview centres throughout the country, Minister Tunç concluded his speech as follows:

“We have ensured that the practice is carried out in the bests of the child, in the presence of psychologists, sociologists, social workers, and advisory teachers in this field, who will look out for the best interests of children. With this practice, 792 child interview centres continue to operate around 592 family courts. We see that a total of 122,518 proceedings have been carried out in the child interview centres over a total of 19,077 files, which included 1,724 files on child delivery and 17,353 files on access. Next week, we will have a workshop on child delivery again. Here again, we will discuss the practical problems and review the steps to be taken and whether or not there are any deficiencies in the implementation.

NO WOMAN IS ALONE

Minister Tunç continued his speech as follows:

“Meeting the practical needs in the field of family law has always been among our primary goals until today. Of course, during this process, while I served in the parliament for 16 years as the President and Member of the Justice Commission, I always examined the laws by taking into account the best interests of the child. When the draft legislation came before us, those friends with whom we worked together in those legislative works on issues concerning children and our women were aware of it. Regulations in favour of children, regulations for the protection of children, measures for the prevention of violence against women were always prioritized, and they were always the first issues we would pay attention to. You all know that significant progress has been made in the last 21 years, especially in the field of family law, in the field of women, in the field of children. There were no family courts until 2003; starting from 2003, we said there should be specialized courts to resolve the family law issues, and we ensured the establishment of family courts. For 20 years since 2003, our family courts have been hearing the cases relating to the family law.

No woman is alone in this country. The law stands by them. The door of the justice is on their side. Our Ministry is on their side, we do, and will, never ever tolerate even a single woman, even a single mother, being subjected to violence or injustice and being dishonoured.”