Forms of Violence Against Women!..

Although awareness regarding violence against women is growing across all regions of the world, the total number of cases described as the 'women's crisis' continues to rise. Generally, the most pervasive form of violence manifests in harassment. The vast majority do not even speak of domestic abuse; a woman simply accepts her fate, enduring it until the day she dies for the sake of her children, her family, and her neighbours. Instead of taking responsibility, states look the other way, cover up the incidents, and weaponise them under the guise of "morality". This breaks the spirit of women. Consequently, the majority of perpetrators are acquitted without facing a single penalty, walking away scot-free. Even though varying social, cultural, and political contexts give rise to different forms of violence, the core patterns remain constant. I can already hear those who cannot bear to even hear the word 'woman': "It's not a woman's issue, it's a human issue!" No! There is a specific problem here, and it is a woman's problem; and this piece has been written to articulate, once again, what women endure.

Whoever inflicts violence is guilty, without exception. Many women face abuse and harassment from those closest to them, yet are unable to speak out, even turning the blame upon themselves. For they know all too well that within patriarchal family structures—even among other women—everyone is far more ready to condemn a woman who speaks out than to support her. Tell me, is this not the ultimate crisis of our societies? The failure to speak!.. When friction begins to form within families, among friends, or in workplaces, the vast majority prefer to run away or sever ties completely rather than speak; yet human beings are species meant to understand one another through speech, are they not?

Let us return to our subject. It must be stated clearly and unequivocally that the 'woman' is never the guilty party; the woman is the victim, the casualty. Recently, the municipality of Molenbeek in Brussels organised an exhibition to dismantle the prejudices surrounding survivors of harassment. Highlighting the questions that blame the woman, the exhibition emphasised that what a woman wears carries no significance whatsoever, displaying the actual clothes worn by children who had been abused by family members. In 2017, statistics from the Ministry of Justice revealed that sexual harassment crimes had soared by ninety-three per cent. Faced with such terrifying figures, should a person really be questioning what a woman wears, or rather what the state is doing? I leave you alone with your conscience...

A display of power! Psychological research demonstrates that sexual harassment stems far less from desire and far more from a display of dominance. We encounter this pattern in other forms of violence as well. For instance, in the opening days of 2018, a father going through a divorce murdered his two young children before committing suicide. The whole of Turkey was shaken, crying, "How can a father do this to his own children?!" As usual, the vast majority didn't lift a finger to bring an end to this reality, but that is a separate issue! Here, the man's sole objective was to punish the woman. Throughout many separations and divorces, men are capable of committing every kind of malice just to punish the woman; stalking, insults, beatings, threats, hacking passwords, recording conversations, and so on... But—and it's a massive 'but'—they lean on a grand justification behind it all: "I love my wife so much!" What a thoroughly sincere sentiment!

Driven by shifting circumstances, such as pressure from a boss or fear of a supervisor, a man who loses his sense of patriarchal authority in the outside world often resorts to brute force against his family. Can we ignore the reality that he seeks to reclaim the power he lost outside by dominating the woman within the walls of the home? Does such a reality not turn women's lives into an absolute hell?

Of course, not every man possesses such a twisted character. But can we deny that such men exist and that these things happen? Is it not true that many marriages carry on simply so that the status quo isn't disrupted, and neighbours don't gossip? Much like a business partnership, everyone is miserable, yet they will see it through to the bitter end so that income isn't divided and order is maintained... If the partnership dissolves, everything falls apart!

Dying to Divorce: In 2015, the documentary Dying to Divorce was filmed by director Chloe Fairweather to draw attention to femicide in Turkey. In the film, Fairweather emphasizes the concepts of 'power' and 'control' that we frequently encounter lately, giving space to real lives. The film highlights that a culture supporting violence exists, and that divorced women live in a constant state of flight, effectively waiting to be murdered as a final outcome. Indeed, do we not hear in hundreds, thousands of publicised cases that the woman went to the police, begged for protection, and absolutely nothing was done? Men who degrade women and treat them as second-class citizens shout on television channels every single day, staring right into our eyes, while an entire nation retreats into silence, continuing to hold its peace as it nurtures the violence within.

Morality and honour: In male-dominated systems, the concepts of morality and honour are constructed entirely around the woman. My point here is not to create a divide between men and women; of course, there are highly conscious men living within this system who have entirely dismantled this discrimination. My purpose is to emphasise that 'woman' as a whole is suppressed by man as a whole. This crisis does not align neatly with left or right-wing politics; you can be left-wing, right-wing, or neither, but if you are a woman, especially one born and raised in Middle Eastern nations, heaven help you! They force the woman into a black chador, and if she is violated despite this attire, they murder her or stone her in public squares. Even today, there are those who cling to the belief of four wives to a man. Whichever way you look at it, there is only one casualty in this societal dynamic: the woman! We continue to endure the darkness of the Middle Ages in this very era. The endless conflicts and the roar of bombs soaking the Middle East in blood completely reduce women to nothingness. In the wars engineered by men, the woman stands as a mere spectator and the ultimate casualty, fighting a battle just to survive. When we examine women's rights in these lands, we see with absolute clarity that they carry no value at all.

Were you looking for examples? Very well!.. A husband being legally permitted to have sex with his wife's corpse for up to six hours after her death, two women's testimonies equaling that of one man in court, the legal age of marriage being dropped to fourteen—or even younger for young girls if the family consents—the ban on women speaking to men in public spaces, the prohibition against a woman leaving her house with her head uncovered... These examples are never classified as violence in textbooks; yet what is it if not structural, financial, and political violence?

The institution of marriage: Let us turn to the most 'vital' institution of our time! Within the structure of marriage, the woman is placed under the protection of the man. This is why, as a custom, her hand is asked for, a ring is placed on her finger, and in this modern era, the woman is placated with these gestures. The vast majority will neither accept nor see how this form of relationship—which gradually devolves into servitude and a mere property partnership—obliterates all genuine emotion. Indeed, proverbs invented to excuse any situation, like "it's the female bird that builds the nest," are never off people's tongues. A little bonus!.. In truth, a hidden duty is imposed upon the woman here. Because everyone wants to protect what they have built; if "the female bird builds the nest," then guarding it falls to her too! Consequently, the 'ideal wife' must look the other way regarding the wrongs committed by the man to preserve the home, and even when betrayed, she must be able to say, "It's just a man's transient fling," so that she fulfills her duty of 'guarding the nest' with due diligence. Alongside this, consider the business of surnames; it feels quite pleasant when marrying, but hits you like a knife wound in the back during a separation. Why must a woman take a man's surname? Why does the family name always stem from the male line? Nowadays, women who append their husband's surname next to their own have multiplied, and in certain exceptional cases, women do not alter their surnames at all. There are situations where, even after separating from the man, a woman may choose not to change her name simply so that it remains identical to her child's...

Becoming husband and wife takes away far more than it brings. Over time, the relationship descends into servitude, focusing on the woman fulfilling daily chores—cooking, laundry, dishes—and accumulating shared property. As you acquire and possess more, the performance of happiness grows. Yet, neither conversation nor true connection remains... The domestic division of labour: Let us not forget the housewives who shoulder the entirety of the work we dismiss and downplay as mere house chores. Waking up before everyone else in the morning, the woman sees the children off to school and the man off to work after the breakfast routine. Then begins the cleaning and cooking cycle that lasts until evening. To cap it all, when a dispute arises, she faces the insult: "What work do you even do anyway?" And as if this weren't enough, on special occasions like 'Mother's Day' where she is supposedly celebrated, she is gifted small household appliances, pots, and pans! Thus, the woman is not being appreciated; she is merely being reminded of her duties, and the domestic chores imposed upon women within patriarchal family structures eat away at her very life. The day ends, but the work never does!..

When the professional lives of women residing in metropolises are piled on top of these daily chores, surviving under such an immense burden becomes a monumental struggle. Arguing that this form of servitude is by no means sacred, and advocating for equal terms while sharing a life together, is branded as an idea "unbefitting of a woman"!.. A final word: Perversity! A woman is forced to guard her conduct and movements in every single sphere of life... Traditional perceptions of social roles stand ready to shatter her at any moment. Women, never knowing where a form of violence might greet them, spend their lives in deep insecurity, a path that ultimately leads to illnesses and drawers overflowing with medication!.. Do you really think objecting to this 'destiny' and fighting against oppression is a mark of 'perversity'? To me, it is an absolute necessity.