To Irrelevant re violence against women in Turkey

Submitted by yasemin (Canada), Apr 1, 2009 at 12:21

You say " Us Turks hold women in high esteem." You may have lived in western cultures but do not seem to have acquired our love of objectivity and logic and have retained your biases. Turkish culture and in fact Turkish law forbids any criticism of the culture and therefore your pollyanna post is not surprising. I've lived in both western culture and Turkey but am not blinded by bias as to the faults in both and can appreciate the positives in both cultures.

Domestic violence, although a global problem, is a huge problem in Turkey in particular as evidenced by numerous reputable studies. A quick google search results in numerous glaring examples, not just a "few" as you stated:

http://www.stopvaw.org/Turkey.html

http://www.omct.org/pdf/VAW/Publications/2003/Eng_2003_09_Turkey.pdf

http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/2/6/2/8/p126281_index.html

http://www.wwhr.org/id_741

As for Turkish men being shunned for using women for their own purposes, this is highly misleading. Men rule in this country. The behavior of men towards women is considered a private matter and thus no social sanctions exist. In cases of domestic violence the police don't intervene and people generally look the other way and in fact support the man involved.

An education is one thing, the ability to see beyond one's nose and to face truths is the test of a truly educated human being.

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