WAN – The Human Rights and Media Association (IHAMED), based in Wan (Van), has received 50 reports of violence against women over the past eight months. Association spokesperson and lawyer Burcu Şeber said many women are being denied access to justice and are left unprotected by the state.
Established in 2021 to address border deaths and enforced disappearances, İHAMED later expanded its focus to include women's rights. Since November 2024, the association has provided legal support to thousands of women, with 43 women seeking help between November 2024 and July 2025. Among the reports were 22 cases of physical violence, 16 psychological, 6 digital, 4 sexual, and 2 economic violence.
‘WOMEN CANNOT ACCESS JUSTICE’
Burcu Şeber said that many women first turn to family health centres (ASM) rather than legal authorities when facing violence. She said: “Our research showed that women often do not reach courthouses or the police, and when they do, their statements may not be properly recorded. That is why they go to family health centres first, but even there, proper referrals are lacking.”
To address this, İHAMED launched an education program for medical professionals. “We collaborated with forensic experts and academics to ensure proper reporting of violence cases. If reports and victim testimonies are correctly handled, access to justice becomes much faster,” Burcu Şeber added.
TRAINING HEALTH WORKERS TO SUPPORT WOMEN
Through training sessions at ASMs and local health centers, İHAMED emphasized the importance of accurate documentation and survivor-centered approaches. The impact, Burcu Şeber said, was immediate: “After the trainings, ASMs began referring more cases to us, which proves the program is working.”
She also criticized government-appointed trustees (kayyıms) for canceling legal aid protocols between municipalities and women’s support services: “These cancellations made an already limited access to justice nearly impossible for women.”
‘THE STATE IS NOT PROTECTING WOMEN’
Lawyer Fatma Ulgen added that IHAMED records all cases in a secure digital archive to help build a data-driven memory of violence. “We’re working with mukhtars and public institutions to raise awareness. Unfortunately, the state, whose job is to protect women, is instead developing policies that ignore them,” she stressed.
SUSPICIOUS DEATHS, SEXUAL EXPLOITATION, AND DRUGS
Fatma Ulgen also highlighted a disturbing trend in Wan; increasing numbers of suspicious female deaths labeled as “suicides.” She said: “Our fieldwork suggests these are not suicides but deaths linked to systemic exploitation. Women and girls are being driven into prostitution and drug use. They can’t access legal support, don’t know their rights, and often can’t afford to file for divorce. The system is pushing them toward death.”
Fatma Ulgen concluded: “The solution lies in solidarity. Only through collective, rights-based efforts can we truly combat violence against women.”