Turkey's June Femicide Report: 37 Women Killed, Most in Their Homes
Translated from Turkish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- In June 2026, 37 women were killed in Turkey, with 27 classified as femicides and 10 as suspicious deaths, according to the Women's Associations Federation.
- The majority of victims, 23, were killed in their own homes, highlighting the danger women face in domestic environments.
- Perpetrators were often close male relatives, including partners, ex-partners, or family members, with firearms being the most common murder weapon.
The alarming rate of violence against women in Turkey was starkly illustrated in June 2026, with 37 women losing their lives. The report by the Turkish Women's Associations Federation categorized 27 of these deaths as femicides and another 10 as suspicious, painting a grim picture of the ongoing crisis.
Disturbingly, the data reveals that women are most vulnerable in their own homes, the place they should feel safest. Of the 37 victims, 23 were murdered within their residences. Seven women were killed in public spaces like streets and parks, two in forests, three in wetlands, and one at her workplace, while the location for one victim remained undetermined.
Kadฤฑnlar en รงok kendilerini gรผvende hissetmeleri gereken evlerinde ve en yakฤฑnlarฤฑndaki erkekler, yani eลleri, eski eลleri ya da aile bireyleri tarafฤฑndan รถldรผrรผlรผyor.
The perpetrators were frequently men known to the victims. Fifteen women were killed by male family members, four by ex-husbands or partners going through divorce, two by current partners, and one by a former partner. Four women were killed by other men, and one perpetrator remained unidentified. The report also noted the suspicious circumstances surrounding 10 deaths.
Canan Gรผllรผ, President of the Turkish Women's Associations Federation, emphasized that femicides are not isolated incidents but a systemic issue. She stated, "Femicides are not isolated incidents, but a structural problem." Gรผllรผ highlighted the increasing use of firearms in these killings, posing a direct threat to women's right to life and urging for stricter policies on individual gun ownership and the ratification of ILO Convention C190 to prevent violence and harassment in the workplace.
รzellikle ateลli silahlarla iลlenen cinayetlerdeki artฤฑล, bireysel silahlanmanฤฑn kadฤฑnlarฤฑn yaลam hakkฤฑnฤฑ doฤrudan tehdit eden bir gรผvenlik sorunu haline geldiฤini gรถsteriyor.
Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.