Fight against domestic violence stalls in patriarchal Turkey

Last year, 13 women in Turkey were murdered by their partners whilst nominally under state protection, according to official figures. Turkey, which aspires to join the European Union, has drafted new legislation to try to bring women's rights in line with European standards. Officials say the number of shelters has doubled in the past three years and victim support centers have been set up, allowing women like Hayat to receive protection and remain with their children. Turkey ranked 120th of 136 nations in the World Economic Forum's 2013 Gender Gap Index, down 15 places since 2006, while a 2011 U.N. report indicated domestic violence rates were almost twice those in the United States, and ten times higher than in some European countries.     "There is a real concrete, open threat to our rights.