Joe Biden said he was “deeply disappointed” by Turkey’s exit from the convention against gender-based violence.

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, showed up this Sunday ”deeply disappointed”For the announcement that Turkey would abandon a Council of Europe agreement against gender-based violence.

“This is a disheartening step backwards for the international movement seeking to end violence against women.Biden lamented in a statement.

The Istanbul Convention, signed in 2011, requires governments to pass legislation that punishes domestic violence and similar abuses, including marital rape and female genital mutilation.

Turkey withdrew from the treaty on Friday, prompting protests by thousands in the country on Saturday to demand that the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reverse the decision.

This “sudden” and “unwarranted” withdrawal is “deeply disappointing,” Biden said. “Gender violence is a scourge that affects all nations around the world. In recent weeks, we have seen too many examples of horrific and brutal attacks on women, including the tragic murders in Georgia, ”the US president continued.

“And we have seen the wider prejudice for women around the world living under the daily specter of gender-based violence. It hurts us all, and all we must do more to create societies where women can develop their lives free from violence“Did he declare.

Erdogan assured in August 2020 that he would withdraw from the agreement “if the people want it” and announced his intention to create his own adapted treaty.

Conservative Islamist groups have put pressure on the AKP for this withdrawal, considering that some articles have a negative impact on “the family structure” and go against “national values”. They claim that the text promotes homosexuality, using the term “sexual orientation”, and attacks family values, describing the relationships of “people who live together” without specifying whether they are married.

The United States and Turkey, both members of NATO, have enjoyed extremely strained relations since 2016, and President Erdogan has yet to meet with Biden since the latter took office in January.

Last week, Washington denounced attempts by Turkish authorities to ban the main pro-Kurdish party.

(With information from AFP and EFE)

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