DUBAI (UAE) – Women across the world, from Dubai to South Korea, are posting their black-and white-selfies on social media as part of an online campaign against Turkey’s threat to withdraw from a European pact to protect women from violence.
The photos started appearing last month under the hashtag #istanbulconventionsaveslives in solidarity with the photos of women who are murdered which regularly appear on Turkish media.
“These black-and-white photos are an act of solidarity with Turkish women … Standing in solidarity means I see the women in Turkey (and elsewhere!) who fear for their basic safety because of their gender,” said an Instagram user from Canada.
Another woman from Spain said on Instagram, “The black-and-white photos are meant to be our voice – we don’t want to be just a photo shared on people’s social media profiles after we die.”
The selfie campaign began last year following the murder of a 38-year old woman by her ex-husband, placing the issue of domestic violence in Turkey in the spotlight.
The campaign gained momentum in July when the Turkish government threatened to withdraw from the agreement with the EU. There are even photos from Portugal and the US.
“The Istanbul Convention is very well defended by women here in Turkey … and violence against women is really a burning issue,” said Berfu Seker who works with Women for Women’s Human Rights-New Ways Association (WWHR), an NGO based in Turkey.
Ankara inked the pact a decade ago during a summit in Turkey.
The pact resulted in a landmark law protecting Turkish women in 2012 and sparked a rights movement, said Seker, adding that the courts and police have never fully upheld the legislation.
“It is not implemented fully so we see women being killed and subjected to violence,” she said.
Seker said the law was good in theory. “If the government took the convention seriously and implemented it fully, it would be very, very useful.”
As many as 440 women were murdered by men in Turkey in 2018, according to unofficial data and the number is more than double from 2012.