Turkey today formally withdrew from the international convention on the prevention and treatment of violence against women, as announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in March, provoking strong reactions from many Turks as well as the West.

Thousands of people are expected to demonstrate across Turkey, where the Council of State on Tuesday rejected an appeal to cancel the country’s withdrawal from the convention.

“We will continue our battle,” Chanan Gulu, president of the Turkish Confederation of Women’s Organizations, said on Wednesday.

“Turkey is shooting itself in the foot with this decision”, Gulu noted and added that since March, women and other vulnerable groups have been even more reluctant to seek help and less likely to receive it.

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