440 pairs of high heels installed in Istanbul to raise awareness against women killings

A total of 440 pairs of high-heel black shoes were installed recently on a facade of a building in downtown Istanbul to draw attention to the equal number of women murders in Turkey last year and raise awareness against increasing male violence in the country. 

The installations at a business center in the Kabatas neighborhood are part of an art project launched by Kahve Dunyasi, one of Turkey's leading coffee and chocolate producers.

Vahit Tuna, the creator of the shoe project, said it is dedicated to the 440 women murdered by their male partners or relatives last year.

It is a severe wound and grievous situation for the people in Turkey, Tuna said.

In his project, the art stands in the background and reveals its power through minimalism.

It doesn't have much decorations or ornaments, and that's why it can easily interact with people in the street, he explained.

Ayse Koruk, a young woman, shared her pessimism about curbing the violence against women, as she was watching the high heels on the wall.

This won't create any good unless you change the entire mentality in society, she said.

A total of 49 women were killed by men across Turkey in August this year, up from 31 in July, according to the We Will Stop Femicide platform, a women rights group that tracks homicides against women.

Since this year, 285 women have been murdered in the country, the platform said.

According to Koruk, last week, a man escaped after beating and attempting to rape an 80-year-old woman in the southern province of Adana.

Police arrested the 54-year-old assaulter, a father of two, following a public outcry as photos of the battered women were posted on social media.

This is something very disgraceful for Turkey, Koruk said. Each day, we are more and more afraid. I am always looking behind me to see if someone follows me.

Women rights groups across Turkey have been urging the government to strictly apply the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention as it was inked in Istanbul in 2011.

Women groups blame the Turkish state for not taking necessary measures to prevent violence, protect the victims and prosecute the perpetrators.