TKDF Domestic Violence Emergency Helpline August 2026 Report: 195 Calls, 48 New Cases Recorded

The Domestic Violence Emergency Helpline of the Federation of Turkish Women's Associations (TKDF) received 195 calls between 1-31 August 2026. In fact, within the scope of the applications, 48 ​​new cases of violence were recorded, 33 of which were recorded as domestic violence cases and 22 as violence committed by the married man. In August, 15 people requested shelter.

According to the report, 96.6 percent of those exposed to violence in the violence reports received in August were women and 3.4 percent were girls.

While the ages of those exposed to violence ranged from 13 to 46, the average age was recorded as 29. Among the types of violence, psychological violence ranked first with 50.77 percent. This was followed by physical violence with 32.31 percent, social violence with 9.23 percent, sexual violence with 6.15 percent and economic violence with 1.54 percent. The report pointed out that women are often subjected to violence by the men closest to them.

'THE VISIBLE PART OF THE ICEBERG'

Canan Güllü, President of the Federation of Women's Associations of Türkiye, said that domestic violence infographics show "a very small part of the iceberg" regarding violence against women. Güllü said, "Reflections from the addresses of those who are unaware of the line, those who do not apply out of fear, those who accept inequality and try to find a way out."

Stating that the main problem regarding violence experienced by women in Turkey is not the absence of a new law, but the failure to implement existing obligations in a timely, holistic and determined manner, Güllü pointed out that violence is often evaluated as a "domestic dispute" at first application, rather than as a high-risk human rights violation.

Stating that there is no common, separated and publicly available data system among institutions regarding femicide and suspicious female deaths, Güllü stated that the data on femicide created by the Ministry of Internal Affairs has not been shared with the public for a long time. Stating that disclosing the data to the public is not only a statistical necessity, Güllü said that it is also important to show that the state embraces the problem and is working for a solution.

'NO UNINTERRUPTED FOLLOW-UP'

Stating that uninterrupted case tracking could not be established between the law enforcement, prosecutor's office, family court, Violence Prevention and Monitoring Centers (ŞÖNİM), health institutions and social services, Güllü said that women were forced to re-apply to each institution.

Güllü stated that indicators that increase the risk of death, such as threats, persistent pursuit, weapon possession, separation stage, past violence and violation of the protection order, have not been converted into a standard and updated risk assessment. Noting that it is not adequately monitored whether the restraining and protection orders given within the scope of Law No. 6284 are implemented, Güllü said that the lack of rapid and deterrent action against the perpetrators who violate the decisions leaves the protection orders "on paper".