State-appointed trustees in Kurdish-majority areas have deepened gender inequality and worsened violence against women, according to a report by Human Rights Association (İHD) Diyarbakır (Amed) branch. Released on Monday, the report highlights how the policy of replacing elected officials, particularly women, with government appointees undermines women’s rights and fuels systemic inequality.
Esra Saçaklıdır of İHD Diyarbakır described the three-term trustee policy as a deliberate strategy to suppress women’s political participation and restrict their social and economic rights. “Trusteeships violate women’s democratic rights and create an environment where gender inequality thrives. This suppression feeds into the broader issue of violence against women,” she said.
The report noted that female co-mayors, including Devrim Demir, Gülistan Sönük, Saniye Bayram and Birsen Orhan, were removed from office in Kurdish-majority municipalities, with trustees installed in their place. “This policy not only silences women in governance but also creates a climate that emboldens gender-based violence,” Saçaklıdır added.
The findings further connected trustee policies to increased impunity for gender-based crimes. Cases such as that of Evin Demirtaş, killed by her ex-husband—a repeat offender—illustrate how ineffective enforcement of laws and state neglect leave women vulnerable. The report also criticised the government’s patriarchal policies, which it argued deepen the inequality underlying these crimes.
İHD Diyarbakır called for an end to trustee appointments, the restoration of elected women leaders to their roles, and systemic reforms to combat gender inequality. “Trusteeships are not just political; they are part of a broader attack on women’s rights and lives,” Saçaklıdır warned.
In addition to the trustee policy, the report detailed alarming statistics: at least 114 women were killed in the past year across southeastern Turkey, with 39 dying under suspicious circumstances. Nearly half of these deaths occurred in homes, further underscoring the role of state neglect in perpetuating violence.
The report urged the government to repeal its policy of impunity, strengthen legal protections for women, and address the structural inequalities fostered by trustee appointments. Saçaklıdır concluded, “The struggle for gender equality and safety for women starts with dismantling systems of suppression, like the trustee policy.”
