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Turkish man assaulted his wife in public, then got beaten by bystanders

The man was detained by police officers. No additional information on the perpetrator's punishment were revealed. 

Domestic violence in Turkey

According to HuffPost, 86 percent of women in Turkey have experienced physical or psychological violence from a partner or family member.

In 2015, over 300 women died of domestic violence. 

Though there are anti-violence laws in place, court rulings can sometimes be lenient if a "judge deems their demeanor to be positive and/or respectful."

"Judges follow their social agenda and give discounts according to their own opinions," Ipek Bozkurt, an attorney in Istanbul who specializes in domestic violence cases, told The New York Times.

"Even the existing laws in Turkey are not enforced in practice because judges don’t care about women."

According to the World Health Organization, 37 percent of married women in the East Mediterranean region - including several Arab countries - have been physically or sexually abused by their partners. 

"Many countries in the Arab region still see violence against women and deal with it as a private issue and not a public issue," said Mehrinaz Elawady of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA.)

The violence against women isn't just a domestic problem

A number of assault cases in the country have seen men "receive little or no punishment for their crimes."

In 2014, a man in Turkey stabbed his wife multiple times, but was given a "reduced sentence after he argued she was wearing provocative leggings and speaking with another man," according to The New York Times.

In 2015, the case of Ozgecan Aslan sparked outrage in the country. The 20-year-old student was stabbed to death for fighting her rapist.

Aslan was riding in a minibus in a southern Turkish town, when the driver allegedly pulled over and attempted to rape her. She tried to fight back, but got beaten with a crowbar and was stabbed to death. 

The perpetrator then "cut off her hands to hide the evidence."

The woman's death led to massive protests in cities across the country. 

In June 2017, Melisa Sağlam - a university student in Istanbul - was verbally and physically assaulted while riding a public bus because she was wearing shorts during Ramadan. 

The 21-year-old did not stay seated. In a matter of seconds, she got up and chased the man in an attempt to hit him back. 

The man, who was identified by police as Ercan Kızıltaş, forcefully pushed her to the floor and ran out of the bus. 

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