Shielding Women from Violence: The Effects of Violence Prevention and Monitoring Centers on Intimate Partner Violence in Türkiye

Gunes Asik, Bilge Erten, Erdal Tekin, Semih Tumen and Hakan Ulucan

No 34886, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Intimate partner violence remains one of the most serious threats to women's safety worldwide, yet existing evidence on the effectiveness of large-scale institutional protection systems is limited and mixed. This paper evaluates the impact of Violence Prevention and Monitoring Centers on intimate partner violence (IPV) against women in Türkiye. Exploiting the staggered rollout of centers across provinces, we find that the opening of a center reduces female homicides, particularly those perpetrated by intimate partners, by approximately 20 percent. Complementary survey evidence shows that the opening of a center also reduces women's self-reported exposure to physical IPV by 20 percent, with larger effects among younger and less-educated women. Exploring potential mechanisms, we find that centers primarily reduce violence by lowering barriers to help-seeking and improving coordination across police, legal, and social services: following the opening of a center, women become more likely to seek support from women's organizations and social services, while direct applications to prosecutors decline. We find no evidence of effects on gender attitudes, labor market outcomes, relationship status, marriage market outcomes, or mental health, suggesting violence reductions operate through improved access to protection rather than changes in norms or economic independence. The estimated effects are stronger in provinces with more gender-progressive norms and stronger institutional capacity, highlighting the importance of complementary social and institutional environments.

JEL-codes: I18 J12 J16 K42 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-02
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