Turkey quits landmark Istanbul Convention because it ‘normalises homosexuality’

Turkey severed ties from the landmark Istanbul Convention, which intended to tackle violence against women, midnight Saturday (20 March) because it “normalises homosexuality”.

The pact was signed in Istanbul a decade ago as part of an international effort to prevent, prosecute and eliminate domestic violence.

But in the latest example of Turkey’s right-wing leadership yawning an ever-widening gap between it and the rest of the West, president Recep Erdoğan abandoned the agreement altogether in a surprise executive order, the BBC reported.

It was a sudden move that left advocacy groups stunned, already reeling from the years-long rise in the abuse of women in Turkey. Thousands took to the streets in protest Saturday as a result.

While the Directorate of Communications, a state promotions agency, sought to stress that the move had to be done.

The treaty, it said in a statement Sunday, clashed with so-called family values as it “normalised homosexuality“.

“The Istanbul Convention, originally intended to promote women’s rights, was hijacked by a group of people attempting to normalise homosexuality – which is incompatible with Türkiye’s social and family values,” it said.

“Hence the decision to withdraw.”

It’s the latest example of the growing hostility Turkey’s leaders have shown towards LGBT+ people, as a hatred that once festered has been allowed to become the norm.

Source: PinkNews