Despite a 2005 legal provision requiring more shelters, Turkey still lacks adequate housing and services for survivors of domestic violence fleeing for safety. Though the law stipulates that over 3,000 shelters should be built in Turkey's more heavily populated municipalities, not a single new shelter has been built. There are only 16 shelters across Turkey, which are stretched to their limits, as far as providing housing and other services. The Mor Çatý, (Purple Roof), shelter in Istanbul is one of the more well known in the country. Mor at tries to assist women seeking refuge, but is with limited resources and funding, often finds it difficult to provide emergency shelter.
In addition to shelter, Mor Çatý provides assistance and support to women so that they can live independently and find work. While some women begin living and working on their own only two months after their arrival, for many women this process takes much longer. Longer stays make resources for other women seeking shelter even more limited. Amnesty International calls upon the Turkish government to support municipalities in opening new shelters and increasing services to Turkish women coping with domestic violence.
Compiled from; "Turkey: Shelters Need More Support," Stop Violence Against Women Campaign, Amnesty International. 4 January, 2007.