Closing shelters in Istanbul

After this woman left her abusive husband and then tried filing for divorce, she tried staying with family and then with friends and then she finally found this shelter. If the shelter is closed, she predicts, many women will either live in the streets or have to return to their abusive husbands. This branch of the local government used to help run the shelter but this representative says that partnership is being cut off because of the financial crisis. There are only 44 women’s shelters across the country. This shelter is supposed to take 18 women and children at a time but they normally house more than 30. this analyst says there is a connection between domestic violence and economic troubles. This analyst says the headscarf issue has distracted politics from other women’s human rights issue. with the economy sinking, government revenues are falling across the board and there’s little money left for women’s shelters.