Turkey pulls out of Istanbul convention

Turkey has abandoned an international accord designed to protect women, drawing protests from campaigners, the BBC reports.

It signed the Council of Europe’s convention 10 years ago at its launch in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

The pact seeks to prevent, prosecute and eliminate domestic violence.

But Turkish conservatives argue its principles of gender equality and non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation undermine family values and promote homosexuality.

Turkey’s decision was described as “devastating” for efforts to combat domestic violence by the head of Europe’s top human rights body, the Council of Europe.

“This move is a huge setback to these efforts and all the more deplorable because it compromises the protection of women in Turkey, across Europe and beyond,” Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric said.

In Istanbul, people gathered for a demonstration under the slogan “You’ll never walk alone”.