Erdogan vows to end violence against women

By Enes Kaplan

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday described violence against women as "a crime against humanity" in a statement issued ahead of International Women’s Day.

Erdogan said: “We should make more efforts to totally end violence against women, which I see as a crime against humanity.”

“To solve this problem, first of all a change in mentality is required,” said Erdogan, adding the state, as well as universities and NGOs, bear important responsibilities in contributing to the end of violence against women.

“I believe we will overcome this problem with the strength of our civilization's values, history and culture,” he said.

The Turkish president also detailed the evolution of women’s rights in Turkey since 2002, when the Justice and Development, or AK, Party first came to power.

Female attendance in primary and secondary schools has risen from 87 percent in 2002 to 97 percent today.

Women’s employment participation rate increased from 24 percent in 2003 to over 33 percent.

He added that there were three times more female lawmakers today than in 2002, when they represented 4.5 percent of MPs.

“Although we see these figures as significant, we don’t find this enough,” he added.

Erdogan also said Turkish women had historically marked the fight for democracy and freedom in Turkey.

“The sacrifices and courage of our women on the night of July 15 have been engraved in our history as an image that will never be forgotten,” he added. Last year’s coup attempt martyred 249 people and injured 2,193 others.

International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8, was born after the labor movements’ activities in the U.S. and Europe at the beginning of the 20th century.