Before the article, as the Istanbul Chronicle, we want to express our deep sadness towards the news of the 5-6 October weekend regarding violence against women. We would like to emphasize that we stand against the violence towards women, animals, and all living things.
In Beyoğlu, the heart of Istanbul, the footage of a harassment scandal has emerged. On September 24, 2024, 25-year-old İrem A. was chased by 2 men named Semir Tarhan and Ömer Konu while walking to her house in the Şehir Muhtar Neighborhood.
The two men cut in front of the woman and pushed her against the wall, but they were not satisfied with this. One of the men harassed the woman by making her lie on the ground. While this happened, the other man was watching the scene. Luckily, İrem A. was able to escape with the help of surrounding residents, but the terror was reflected in security cameras. The harassing men were removed from the area, and the harassed woman was calmed down by the citizens.
The outcome of the crime was as follows: the men, who were already involved in several crimes, were released in the first place. However, since the release of Semir T. and Ömer Konu faced harsh criticism from the society, they were detained and arrested again.
Ironically, it turned out that Semir Tarhan was posting several posts on his social media accounts prior to the incident about the moral values people have. He had several posts on Facebook regarding the justice system, the crimes that occur, the well-being of people, and behavior of people. The contrast between the posts and the incident created more anger within the society despite all the present madness.
In one of the posts, Semir Tarhan says “If there is crime in a community, then there is no justice.”. He was right about one point, as the society suggests: the fact that there are not enough precautions taken for the violence against women and generally the assault and harassment crimes, especially after the withdrawal from the “Istanbul Convention Action”, which aims to stand against violence against women and domestic violence in 2021. This faced many negative reactions because the Istanbul Convention was a symbol of the struggle of the women, the hardships and dangers that they face every day, and the fact that they do not feel safe while just walking around.
Several articles of the convention directly suggested a way of protection for women. For instance, Article 4: Fundamental Rights, Equality and Non-Discrimination states that all the states that signed the convention shall take legislative or other measures necessary to protect and ensure the right of everyone, in particular women, to live free from violence in the private and public sphere.
Additionally, some changes were made in the constitution after the withdrawal of the Istanbul Convention, and one of them is Article 6284, which regulates measures to be taken for the protection of women, children, family members, and victims of continuous stalking who have been or are at risk of facing violence and domestic violence and to prevent violence.
However, creating a contrast, the author of the social media post, Semir Tarhan, became the criminal himself, disrupting the welfare of the society, making women feel insecure about going out alone.
After the several incidents that took place in the weekend, many women started to carry items in order to prevent such events. These items include electroshock devices, panic buttons that make a loud sound to call for help in an emergency, some sharp or pointed keychains, and deodorant sprays that replace pepper spray. Unfortunately, these are starting to become essential in the bags women use every day. We hope that someday, women will no longer need these items to feel safe in their daily lives.