Woman seeking for divorce brutally killed by estranged husband in İzmir - Today's Zaman

 A woman who separated from her husband two months ago was killed by her estranged husband in Izmir’s Bornova district on Thursday. 

The woman, Ferdane Ç. (28), had earlier demanded a divorce from Sedat Ç. (23). After their separation she had difficulty taking care of her four children, three of whom were from a previous marriage, and had to leave them at a house run by the Social Services and Child Protection Agency (SHÇEK).

Wanting to reunite with his wife, Sedat Ç. went to Ferdane’s house on Thursday, the victim’s sister told the police. The couple is believed to have had a fight during this meeting, which ended in Sedat Ç. slitting Ferdane’s throat.

Ferdane Ç.’s sister Birdane called the police when her sister failed to open the door or respond to her phone calls. The police, who had to break down the door, found the woman dead on the floor. They are currently looking for Sedat Ç.

In related developments, Minister of Family and Social Policy Fatma Sahin on Friday met with female deputies of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) to evaluate a new draft law that introduces new regulations to decrease violence against women in Turkey.

“Only through cooperation can we prepare a complete draft law, so we came together today to discuss whether there are any important points missing from the draft,” Sahin said during the meeting.

In the meantime, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General Nafis Sadik told the Anatolia news agency on an official visit on Friday that Islam gives the same rights to women as men, which is contrary to the image in Westerners’ minds about a woman’s status in Islam. “Being a Pakistani woman, I have had many chances to observe the issue of women’s rights in Islamic countries; the religion of Islam gives equal rights to women,” Sadik said.

Regarding the recent increase in violence against women in Turkey, Sadik said, “Fighting against violence towards women is very important; politicians, lawyers, nongovernmental organizations, media and especially women themselves should cooperate in order to solve this problem in Turkey,” and added that stricter laws should be adopted to punish those who abuse women and that tougher laws against known abusers should be adopted to protect women at risk.

Emphasizing that there is a negative image in Western countries about the role of women in Islam, Sadik said: “In the Western world when people think of a Muslim person, the image of a Muslim man with four helpless women behind him comes to mind, but this image doesn’t reflect reality,” adding that “when reporters find out I’m a Muslim woman, they are usually surprised because they don’t believe that a Muslim woman can be successful and hold a high position like I do.”