Proposed amendments to temporary protection orders have led the Women's Rights Foundation to file a judicial protest against the Equality Ministry.
The amendments have been proposed in Bill tabled in Parliament.
The foundation said in a statement on Friday that the amendments would go against the spirit of the Istanbul Convention and add to the burden shouldered by victims of domestic violence.
Among other things, the foundation argued, the amendments would require police inspectors to carry out investigations in alleged domestic violence cases within 12 hours of a risk assessment.
It would also be up to police to ask the court for a temporary protection order if they felt the victim was at risk of harm. According to the amendments, these orders would only be valid for 30 days and would lapse if police chose not to file criminal charges.
Temporary protection orders are intended to provide immediate protection to ensure the safety of victims of domestic violence without putting the burden on victims, who are often accompanied by dependent children.
In their statement, the Women's Rights Foundation expressed concern about the onerous requirements the amendments would introduce. Police resources were already stretched, it noted, and requiring investigations to be carried out by inspectors or officers of a higher rank would be difficult.
And while the police could ask for a court order requesting the issuance of a temporary protection order, they could opt to not proceed with criminal action against the perpetrator.
Despite the legal obligations to inform victims about any action taken or otherwise, it was often left up to the victims to chase information, possibly putting them at further risk. Victims could end up face to face with their perpetrators if the temporary protection order would have expired without their knowledge, the Foundation said.
The Foundation called on legislators to take into serious account the fact that the proposed amendment went against the rights of victims, especially given that domestic violence was deemed to be a serious violation of their fundamental human rights.