Poll of 3500 Turkish men reveals wife beating not a problem.

In their education efforts, the Islamic government based on the message that violence against women is also a violation of Islam. But there is perhaps the biggest problem: The honor killing researcher Hülya Özaktürk found out by interviewing numerous women murderers that they consider their actions to conform to the precepts of religion. This may also apply for “normal” domestic violence.

This raises the question of whether government policy promoting the religion itself contributes, despite all preventive and educational programs to encourage those social strata in their views, which are most likely to violence against women.

Die Welt: The Turkish Family Minister Fatma Sahin said some time ago, the government is working to not only get a better grip on violence against wives by their husbands, but to eliminate it completely.

That may be too optimistic. A new statistic shows that it probably reflexive of the thinking of most Turkish men and would have the opposite effect. A survey by the University of Kirikkale and the organization “Happy Children” of 3500 Turkish men, which used a truism, anyways in Turkey: ”Of course most Turkish men find violence against wives completely normal, sensible and practical.”

28 percent of respondents considered violence against wives is essential: This must be done precisely to discipline them. 34 percent said they considered themselves moderate and violence against marriage offers only “occasionally” and when “necessary”.

Together they are 62 percent, almost two-thirds of the men surveyed. Maybe it is because everyone already knows the country that men think so. But now they were for the first time ever questioned on the subject.

The man is the ruler of the house

The conditions under which violence is justified in the survey offered graded statements. 18 percent of men responded positively to the basic view that “the man is the ruler of the house and can violence freely applied if necessary.”

30.9 percent wanted only to strike when “a good reason” was given for it. But perhaps most telling was a different proposition, which introduced the “honor” as the reason. 37.9 percent of respondents agreed that violence was justified to enforce principles such as honor, integrity and discipline.

For this purpose, one must understand that particularly in the Kurdish southeast of the country, but also in the major cities with its many immigrant Kurds, which means “honor” for the livelihood of many families.

If it is “dirty”, you will be shunned, might in turn mean doing business to earn money. “Spotted” she is the woman suspected of misconduct-. Indecent clothes, flirting with other men, extramarital relationships

An actual wrongdoing is not necessary, evil rumors are sufficient. Is that going once, then one is faced with the choice of being outcast or kill the woman, or to flee with her somewhere where no one knows.

Statistics record: Domestic violence increases

And inasmuch as many men like the beating appear as a lesser evil, if it serves to preserve the “honor”, so keep the woman of it to behave in a way that could make in the neighborhood of rumors, then saves it – so the logic – not only honor, but under certain circumstances the woman before something worse.

The fact is that the statistics reported a steady increase in domestic violence against women. A year ago, the Turkish Parliament adopted a much acclaimed law against domestic violence, but so far seems to have no effect: last year 125 women were killed by their husbands or partners, and the trend is likely rising – only this March were there 14 murders.

More than 30,000 women have been physically hurt by their husbands or partners in the past year. The Family Ministry offers workshops and marriage counseling before marriage to, is where HEMTT good communication and non-violent problem solving.

The government has also introduced a “panic button” program, to send with a single push of a button on their phone in acute threat to a distress signal, the oppressed women. The efficacy was but “not yet documented,” says the Family Ministry.

Men consider violence as a principle of religion

[…]

The unanswered question is whether this force increases, or is reported and documented only more often, and if there are the views of the men who harden by the ongoing decade Islamization, or whether on the contrary, a progressive softening of conservative behavior, ie a liberalization in the society, more and more male violence leads to more free-thinking women. The fact is that much of the violence, particularly the murders of women arises in a divorce situation.

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