Sahin attends meeting of UN Women's Status Committee in New York

Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Sahin on Tuesday attended a meeting of the United Nations Women's Status Committee in New York. Speaking at the meeting, Sahin said that the Turkish government had necessary laws in place to prevent violence against women and that all legal arrangements have been made on the principle of equality between women and men. "We have secured the support of all related sides in our struggle against women in Turkey. Our state has adopted a policy of zero tolerance against violence on women," Sahin said. Stating that the Turkish Criminal Code was also amended to increase prison terms in cases over violence against women and children, Sahin noted that 450,000 soldiers, 70,000 police officers, 65,000 health officers and 17,000 religious officials have been trained to create awareness about equality between women and men and how to approach the victims of violence.