News Center — Turkey is witnessing a worrying escalation in violence against women, according to human rights reports that confirm the continued prevalence of gender-based crimes, raising widespread concerns about the safety of women in both the public and private spheres.

The "Turkey Violence Map 2025" report, prepared by the Justice and Forensic Psychology Laboratory (ASLAB) at Istanbul Kültür University, revealed a record increase in violent incidents in the country. According to the report, cases of violence rose by 75%, reaching 2,289 incidents compared to 2024, and it showed that more than 95% of these incidents were committed by men.

The report indicated that the most common type of crime was assault, accounting for 61.5%, and that there was a noticeable shift in the geographical distribution of violence, with cases that were previously concentrated in the Marmara region moving to the Mediterranean and parts of North Kurdistan.

The cities of Urfa (Şanlıurfa) and Adana emerged as the cities with the highest increase in violence rates, with cases rising approximately 13-fold in Urfa, while increasing 5-fold in Adana. This rise indicates that these two cities have become new hotspots for violence.

95% of perpetrators are male

The report drew attention to the fact that the vast majority of perpetrators of violence were male, stating that 95.5% of these acts were committed by men, while the proportion of foreign perpetrators rose from 13.2% to 38.8% within one year. This indicates an increasing spread of violence in the public sphere and a decline in social trust.

On the other hand, the report confirmed that the rate of firearm use in crimes reached 62%, and that the increased individual ownership of firearms intensified violence. In terms of temporal distribution, September 2025 emerged as the most dangerous period, accounting for 10.4% of incidents.

Proposed solutions

The report also included proposed solutions, stressing the need to declare high-risk areas as special security and social service zones, restrict individual firearm ownership, increase control over sharp and edged weapons, and establish preventive intervention centers, especially for male offenders.