The concept and protection of family in Turkish Law

This study aims to draw attention on the importance of the family as a social institution for the society, and discuss what might be the ideal legal norms to prevent increasing divorces in the present age. Besides, last but not the least, it is intended to determine the extents that the family union can be protected through legal arrangements. With this aim in mind, the description, importance and function of family is briefly given; then, Turkish family and family law within its historical process is summarized; and consequently, provisions for protecting the family, along with the international legal regulations, are investigated. In order not to extend the scope of the work to greater extents, investigations are limited with Constitution, Turkish Criminal Code, Turkish Civil Code and Law No. 6284 on the Protection of the Family and the Prevention of Violence Against Women. The result of the study underlined the need for a family institution so that the society and individuals could develop in a healthy way. In recent years, it has been found that many important steps have been taken to protect family unity, and ensure gender equality in the family. However, the findings of the study suggest that "domestic violence", an inevitable phenomenon, still exists. At this point we have searched for answers to the question whether the family as an institution that we consecrate and protect should necessarily include the families where the environment of violence and fear prevails. In this respect, the adequacy of Law No. 6284 has been discussed and it has been underlined that the institutions with legal infrastructure should immediately initiate legal action. Finally, it has been pointed out that violence is a problem of education and mentality, and it is not possible to eliminate violence by law as long as the violence-prone spirits are not treated. Keywords: Family, Family Protection, Women, Violence, Law No. 6284