Turkish minister participates in UN meeting on women

Turkey’s Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Sahin on Tuesday participated in a meeting of the United Nations Women’s Status Committee in New York.

Speaking at the meeting on the prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls, Sahin said violence against women remained one of the most important social problems in the 21st century, adding that Turkey had accelerated its efforts in the past years to struggle violence against women.

"We have secured the support of all related sides in our struggle against women in Turkey. Our state has adopted a policy of ’zero tolerance against violence on women,’" Sahin said.

Sahin said the Turkish government had necessary laws in place to prevent violence against women, adding that all legal arrangements were made on the principle of equality between women and men.

Sahin said the Turkish Criminal Code was also amended to increase prison terms in cases over violence against women and children.

Sahin said the Turkish government had opened monitoring and preventing centers in 14 cities in Turkey, adding that number of women shelters in the country had increased by 60 percent to 113 in the past year.

Also speaking at a separate session on the sidelines of the UN meeting, Sahin said Turkey was one of the countries with the fastest drops in maternal and infant mortality rates, adding that children were under state health insurance until the age of 18.

Tuesday, March 05, 2013