Men get killed more than women do, AKP MP says to downplay femicides in Turkey

AKP deputy Hülya Atçı Nergis said that men get killed more than women do in response to the criticism on the government's failure in preventing femicides. "The media is using this issue because it sells," Nergis said on March 8.

Tuesday March 09 2021 03:32 pm

Duvar English

A deputy from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has said that men get killed more than women do, in an effort to downplay Turkey's femicide plague.

AKP deputy Hülya Atçı Nergis claimed that the problem of femicides is being "exaggerated" and that the number of men who get killed is 12 times higher than that of women.

"We only state the number of women who are killed," Nergis said on March 8 International Women's Day, as she also claimed that Turkey is in a better situation in terms of femicides compared to the other countries.

When reminded that some 300 women were killed in 2020 in Turkey, Nergis blamed it on the media.

"The media is using this issue because it sells. It creates a false perception as if a lot of women are getting killed in Turkey," she said.

Nergis' statements were met with surprise since women in Turkey get killed, beaten or raped nearly every day. The official statistics of femicides are believed to be just the tip of the iceberg, since many murders go unreported.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's AKP is often slammed for not protecting the women despite the gravity of the femicide plague. The judiciary protects men and the restraining orders obtained women fall short of deterring men.