Demand Protection and Equal Rights for Turkish Women!

More than half of all women murdered in Turkey are killed by husbands or boyfriends. In just the past year alone, there has been an increase of murders by 31% over previous years. Turkish women are constantly on guard against rape and violence and to make matters worse, the Turkish government is doing very little to address the growing problem.

Twenty-year-old Ozgecan Aslan, a female student in Turkey, was riding the bus when a fellow passenger tried to rape her. Ozgecan fought off her attacker by spraying him with pepper spray. After that, the attacker beat her with an iron bar, and then stabbed her to death. He then enlisted the help of male relatives who helped him dispose of her body in a river. All men involved have been arrested but the brazen act of these men has brought the growing problem of violence against Turkish women to the International forefront and they need your help!

Although the Turkish President publicly condemned the murder and called for the harshest punishment allowed by law for her killers, he then condemned women for dancing at an event to raise awareness of the rape culture in Turkey. He has publicly stated: "Women and men could not be equal because it “goes against the laws of nature.” His condemnation clearly sends the message that women are in part responsible for their own rapes!

Please stand with Turkish women and tell President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to demand equal rights and protection under the law!