What is the Main Problem Causing Femicide?

Altınöz et al. by International In the Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology With the article titled “Femicide: Psychosocial Characteristics of the Perpetrators in Turkey” published on the increasing incidents of violence against women and femicide today. A very striking research was revealed.

in Turkish “Femicide: Psychosocial Characteristics of Perpetrators in Turkey” In this study, which means that the researchers firstly consider violence against women as an act different from femicide, but on the contrary. An action that precedes femicide He emphasizes that it should be seen as

In 2023, 315 women were killed by men; 248 women were found dead in suspicious circumstances.

The We Will Stop Femicide Platform has been publishing data on femicide every year since 2008.

Especially with the beginning of discussions on the abolition of the Istanbul Convention Increase in suspicious deaths and femicides It is stated that .

However, femicide, which increases every year, The only year in which a clear decrease was observed was 2011, when the Istanbul Convention was signed. It was the year…

The research says that violence against women is more common in developing societies.

So much so that it is emphasized that women in these societies try to break stereotypical gender roles by participating in the workforce. Therefore, have strong prejudices against change Unfortunately, violence against women and femicide are more common in these societies.

According to the study; In developing societies, unlike developed societies, there is still more having stereotyped gender rolesIt is said that it made that society fanatic against any possible change.

Although violence against women can occur in every income and education group, it is more common in low income and education levels.

According to research, women who are exposed to this violence and femicide as a result are mostly low age, low income and unemployment These three factors are called risk factors, as they have characteristics such as.

In addition, femicides can be seen in every socioeconomic group, at low socioeconomic levels It is stated that it is more common.

According to a research conducted by the World Health Organization; social norms, social capital, family privacy and social perception of men, He emphasizes that there are factors that have an impact on femicide.

The aim of this study is to determine the personality and behavioral characteristics of people convicted of femicide.

Writers have committed femicide before Perceptions of men’s personality traits, childhood traumas and gender roles focuses on identifying its impact on this behavior.

Additionally, by comparing these characteristics of men who have committed femicide with men who have not committed such an act before, to detect the difference aims.

In this context, Hypothesize that men who think women should have less rights and power than men and who have childhood trauma are more likely to commit femicide. They aim to test.

The research was conducted on male convicts in Ankara Penal Institutions who committed or attempted to murder women.

Study, In Ankara Penal Institutions who committed femicide in 2013 and agreed to participate in the study voluntarily 41 male convicts and 20 unconvicted males It was carried out on people (who had no history of femicide or violence against women).

If the data used is by three psychiatrists It was obtained through interviews and questionnaires filled out by convicts.

Data of convicts and unconvicted male participants included in the research compared.

Let’s start examining the findings.

Between two groups with the same age and education levels (men convicted of femicide and men without a history of femicide or violence against women), there was a significant difference in factors such as mental disorder, socioeconomic status, occupation, and criminal record. there is no difference It was concluded.

In other words, this situation means that femicides not as an individual action, but as a phenomenon related to society emphasizes the importance of evaluation.

The most fundamental difference between the two groups is Migration history and male-dominated view of collective gender roles It is stated that it was seen on the subject.

It has been observed that 78% of convicted criminals have a migration background.

Migration is not only about change of location, with a social change It is also emphasized that it is relevant.

In the light of this information, the authors argue that women generally enter the workforce after migration. He states that he cannot participate as actively as men.. It is also stated that the problems experienced during migration are experienced differently by men and women, and that there is generally a gender-based division of labor (such as women taking care of children and doing housework).

Men who experience social status and financial loss due to migration Trying to compensate for these losses by resorting to violence states that they can show the tendency.

Based on this, researchers argue that migration is a factor in violence against women. as a risk factor interprets.

The results show that men try to be more dominant at home, even though they say they support gender equality.

The majority of the criminals participating in the research committed murders “protecting one’s honor” and “establishing dominance over one’s wife” He stated that he acted for the purpose of

women deserving inheritance and contributing effectively to family decisions There are significant differences in opinions on the subject.

Although men in Turkey claim to support gender equality, that they continue to dominate the home and this situation potentially contributes to the spread of domestic violence.

Most of the criminals within the scope of the research stated that they committed the murder in an impulsive rather than planned manner.

After surveys conducted with criminals, the details of the murders they committed are as follows;

• of criminals 85.4%, He stated that he did not plan the murders of women they committed and that he acted out of impulse at that moment.
• Criminals examined within the scope of the research 41.5% He stated that he had previously used violence against his victims.
• of criminals 82.9% Some stated that there was an argument before the murder was committed.
• Two thirds of femicides with a firearm or other device processed.
• Moreover, if two-thirds of the perpetrators had not had a gun in their hands, the outcome of the violence would have been it will be different he stated.
• Finally, criminals 36.6% He stated that the issue that caused the murder was related to traditions and honor. Additionally, criminals 51.2% It is stated that he had a history of violence before the murder.

In the light of these findings, the authors’ comments are as follows; “In countries like Turkey, where it is easy to access firearms, disarmament can be an extremely effective strategy to prevent femicide. Our results show that at least half of the perpetrators used violence against their partners before the femicide without causing any physical injury.”

A very large percentage of the criminals examined within the scope of the research have been exposed to or witnessed domestic violence It is stated that.

However, when men who have not been previously convicted and have no history of violence are examined, it is stated that this group is also exposed to physical neglect, physical and sexual abuse. In other words, these men who did not have a history of violence lived in a culture of violence in Turkey, but they did not show any tendency towards violence against women.

Based on these findings, researchers found that being exposed to domestic violence or experiencing traumatic events in childhood has a significant impact on being a femicide perpetrator. cannot be considered as a risk factor states.

In societies where violence is a socially accepted and normalized phenomenonThey state that the incidence of this action will increase, and based on social learning theory, they say that a child who has witnessed violence in his childhood may tend to learn by imitating his parent’s behavior.

In summary, to end violence against women, which is a source of social shame, We need to heal ourselves by taking individual steps first. and we can comment that we need to take steps to prevent these unhealthy behaviors from being passed on from generation to generation.

As with every scientific research, this research has some limitations.

sample only It consists of criminals in the relevant prison. In addition, the fact that criminals are already in prison may pose an obstacle to expressing one’s true feelings and thoughts. It is stated.

Since only male perpetrators were included in the study, the research focuses solely on men’s views of gender. In addition, since suicidal behavior is common after murder, only men who were in a psychological state that would not commit suicide after the act of murder were included in the study. For this reason, the authors decided that this sample There are some limitations in representing all perpetrators of femicide. states that it is.

Now let’s summarize the research findings.

To sum up, this study investigates many factors related to the perpetrators of femicide, their victims and the social structure, and reveals the underlying reasons behind this outdated behavior. The most salient factors are migration history and perspective on gender roles. detects that it is.

For this reason, the underlying causes of violence against women and femicide are The main reason is related to social characteristics It is emphasized that .

As a result, violence against women and femicides are our It’s a fundamental problem in our society. It is noted that . While there should be no excuse for any kind of violence, this behavior has become ingrained in us and societies like us, and this study has once again come to light.

For this reason, instead of finding excuses or reasons for such behavior, individual people should turn within themselves to change the problem and instead of legitimizing this behavior. “What can I do to solve this problem?” and take the necessary steps to eradicate this outdated behavior that should be a source of social shame for us. first step that can be taken stands out as.

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