A press statement was held in Bağlar district at the initiative of the Women’s Assembly of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) to draw attention to the rising number of femicides and call for greater action against violence against women. Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Serra Bucak, DEM Party Women’s Assembly Spokesperson Halide Türkoğlu, DEM Party Diyarbakır MP Adalet Kaya, district municipality co-mayors, representatives of political parties and women’s organisations, and a large number of women attended the statement at Dörtyol Junction.

Four women killed in Diyarbakır in the past month

Speaking at the event, Co-Mayor Bucak said they were taking part alongside women working to combat violence and the city’s political representatives. She said:

“Four women have been killed in Diyarbakır in the past month. The most recent was Ayfer Çakmak. She was killed here in Bağlar, on the street where she lived, by someone close to her — her husband. Tragically, Ayfer Çakmak leaves behind five children.

“Before her, two other women were killed after being lured into public spaces by their former or estranged husbands — men they had either wanted to leave, were seeking to divorce, or had already divorced — and then murdered.”

‘Local authorities must strengthen their policies too’

Referring to efforts to combat violence against women, Co-Mayor Bucak stressed that raising awareness, developing gender consciousness and organising around women’s rights had only become part of everyday life as a result of difficult struggles. She said that alongside these efforts, local authorities also needed to step up their work and strengthen their policies for women.

“How safe do women in this city actually feel? And how easily can they access the mechanisms they need to feel safe? Do they genuinely see those mechanisms as places they can trust — in their neighbourhoods and in the spaces where women come together?

“Of course, every time a woman is killed or something goes wrong, we come together with local authorities, activists working in this city, women’s organisations and groups working to combat violence. We have to keep asking these questions and looking at what more needs to be done.”

‘Power relations over women’s lives permeate every part of society’

Co-Mayor Bucak stressed that the struggle waged by women and the networks they have built were not, on their own, enough to prevent femicides because the problem was rooted in the system itself. She said that the power exercised over women’s bodies and lives permeated every part of society.

‘Putting these mechanisms into practice is made harder by patriarchal policies’

Recalling that women were fighting on many fronts — for their identity, their language and their right to exist — Co-Mayor Bucak pointed to the various mechanisms established to combat violence, including awareness-raising initiatives, educational programmes, campaigns and Alo Şiddet helplines. She said:

“But the reality today is that, unfortunately, these mechanisms are struggling to function in the face of the government’s patriarchal policies.”

‘We are not powerless; we can strengthen our collective resolve’

Co-Mayor Bucak stressed that women were not powerless and continued:

“Wherever we face obstacles, we will find an alternative way forward. But we women are not powerless — whether we are in Amed, Adana, Istanbul, Ankara or anywhere else in Türkiye. We are not powerless. I want to say loud and clear from here that we are here, that we have a collective will, and that we will stand by and protect one another.”

Co-Mayor Bucak also criticised the judiciary’s handling of femicide and violence-against-women cases, highlighting shortcomings in the implementation of Law No. 6284 and arguing that courts were allowing perpetrators to escape proper punishment through measures such as “good behaviour” reductions. Referring to the campaigns for Gülistan Doku and Rojin Kabaiş, Co-Mayor Bucak noted that in cases involving femicides, evidence had often been uncovered not by the judiciary but by women and civil society organisations.

‘Women want to live’

Referring to shortcomings in the Gülistan Doku and Rojin Kabaiş cases and what she described as policies of impunity, Co-Mayor Bucak said that without the efforts of their families and women supporting them, the cases would have been closed simply as “suicide”. She continued:

“How many women are supposedly choosing to take their own lives in this part of the world? Our society should not accept that explanation. Women want to live. Women do not want to be torn away from this life. Women are at the heart of this life. They want to live it with their children, with their identities, their ideas and their actions. They want to be part of this life.”

Call for men to raise awareness

Calling on men to play a role in combating violence against women, Co-Mayor Bucak said:

“Men need to see the violence and the arguments happening right next door and in their own neighbourhoods. They need to speak up and get involved. An organised society is what can stop violence; an organised society is what can help us heal one another’s wounds.”

‘We must all hold those responsible to account’

Calling for vigilance against the patriarchal system in every area of life, Co-Mayor Bucak concluded:

“We have to stay vigilant until we put an end to this. We have to stay organised until we put an end to this. And until we do, we must all stand together and hold those responsible for these killings to account. Women are here, women will always be here, and women will stand by one another.”