The Istanbul Convention: Türkiye’s Withdrawal and current challenges

In this episode of the Intersectionality Lab podcast, Hilal is joined by Ana Catarina and special guest Ezel Buse Sönmezocak, feminist lawyer and Advocacy Coordinator at Women for Women’s Human Rights, to discuss Türkiye’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention. Ezel brings years of experience advocating for women’s and LGBTQI+ rights, both professionally and voluntarily. Together, the team unpacks what the Istanbul Convention represents, the implications of Türkiye’s decision, and the current challenges faced by activists and communities on the ground. Join this insightful conversation to understand the stakes of this pivotal moment for gender equality and human rights in Türkiye, and hear firsthand perspectives from those fighting for change. Guest bio She was born in Istanbul in 1991. Feminist, lawyer. For more than 15 years, she has been working professionally and/or voluntarily in the field of women's and LGBTQI+ rights. She is currently the advocacy coordinator at the Women for Women's Human Rights Association. She received her LL.M. in International Human Rights Law from Lund University and her PhD in Public Law from Koç University. Her research focuses on human rights law, philosophy of law, legal theory and gender studies. She is also a musician and plays drums. Additional resources  Women for Women’s Human Rights (WWHR) https://wwhr.org/  Action against violence against women and domestic violence - Istanbul Convention: https://www.coe.int/en/web/istanbul-convention Text of the Istanbul Convention: https://www.coe.int/en/web/istanbul-convention/text-of-the-convention  The Istanbul Convention: A tool to tackle violence against women and girls https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2018/630297/EPRS_ATA(2018)630297_EN.pdf  Women for Women’s Human Rights (WWHR) https://wwhr.org/international-conventions-and-mechanisms/the-istanbul-convention/