Lockdowns and Domestic Violence: The Impact of Remote Work Regulations on Women Workers in Türkiye During the COVID-19 Pandemic

After the outbreak of the pandemic, many companies in Türkiye either started or continued to work remotely. Moreover, many of them intend to make remote work permanent in the post-pandemic period. Remote work, once a luxury of high-skilled employees, is becoming more common throughout the entire Turkish labour market. However, in parallel with the increase in remote working practices, reported cases of domestic violence against women were also on the rise. It is worth noting that Turkish Remote Work Regulation is grounded in a mutual agreement between the employer and the employee, and the regulation does not contain special provisions for women workers. The Turkish National Act on the Protection of the Family and the Prevention of Violence against Women presents promising provisions for women workers. Nevertheless, it has not proven sufficient to offer the necessary protection, specifically in the context of remote work. Given the expectation that remote work will remain commonplace once the pandemic is over, ensuring adequate, human-centred protection against gender-based domestic violence against women in the context of labour law is critical.