Gender Equality MARCH 2020 Gender Equality | Page 9

• Under the title of torture and torment the crimes of torture and torment have been arranged.
With these clauses the obligations of Turkey in terms of international conventions have been taken
into account. In this sense, acts of torture have been defined as a separate crime. Committing the
crime against a child or mentally defenceless individual or a pregnant woman has been penalized
with imprisonment from 8 years to 15 years.
• Not performing caring, education or supporting obligations arose from Family Law has been
defined as a crime. In the same clause, a person who leaves his pregnant spouse (married or
unmarried) that fell pregnant from himself in a helpless position has been penalized.
• Genital examination has been arranged as a separate clause and a person who sent an individual
to genital examination without authorized judge’s or public prosecutor’s decision or a person who
made the genital examination have been punished with imprisonment from 3 months to 1 year.
• Having a sexual relation with an individual below full legal age has been determined as a separate
offence.
• Arrangements have been made in terms of combating trafficking of women and children in line
with the international obligations.
• Discrimination crime has been arranged and depriving of some people from legal opportunities by
making discrimination not stem from the valid laws and legal regulations has been penalized.
As it is stated in the first part, Turkey is a party to the Optional Protocol of CEDAW. In this respect, it
has been a very important progress in terms of protecting and developing the women’s human
rights that providing individuals and groups of women with the right to petition or the right to
complain to the Committee of CEDAW and giving the Committee an authorization to accept and to
observe the applications of complains in order to supervise the implementations.
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