The increase in individual armament also causes an increase in violent incidents. According to the "Turkey Armed Violence Map" data of Umut Foundation, which carries out studies against individual armament; There were 3,984 incidents of gun violence in 2022. In these incidents, 2 thousand 278 people lost their lives and 4 thousand 231 people were injured. While cutting tools were used in 616 of the armed violence incidents, 3 thousand 368 occurred as a result of firearms. According to this data, there was a 4.81 percent increase in gun violence incidents compared to 2021. Distribution by region: The most violent incidents were 1,136 in the Marmara Region, 571 in the Mediterranean, 543 in the Black Sea, 463 in Central Anatolia, 459 in the Aegean and 812 in Kurdistan.

 

In Istanbul, which comes first on a provincial basis, there were 519 incidents of armed violence, in which 296 people lost their lives and 601 people were injured. In Adana, which ranked second, 123 people lost their lives in armed violence.

 

SOCIETY'S REFLEX AGAINST VIOLENCE

 

Evaluating individual armament and gang formation and the violent incidents that result from this, psychologist Mesut Aslan defined an attack on a person's physical, spiritual and social existence as violence, and explained that violence is divided into individual and social. Drawing attention that social violence has increased recently, Aslan said: "Democratic spaces have begun to be lost with the increase. Judicial mechanisms remained very passive, especially in cases of femicides with the termination of the Istanbul Convention. There is a legal system that excuses a man's act of destroying women and gives a reduced sentence for it. There is a uniquely rising situation of violence against women. As a society, we have actually lost our reflexes in the face of violence, we remain silent to events that need to raise hell. In this state, it is possible to see that violence has become normal in society."

 

THE VIOLENCE INCREASED DURING SÜLEYMAN SOYLU

 

Drawing attention that the increase in violent incidents is directly related to the policies of the government, Aslan said: “People started to show great violent reactions in a tiny direction. When the legal aspect of this is disrupted, people begin to seek their own justice. We can see that gang formation and individual armament increased during the period of former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, and we can say that there is almost no member of a criminal organization who has not had a photo taken with him. It is also possible to see gangs fighting each other here, and people have the perception that 'if you want to be economically strong, you need to have a gun.'"

 

'YOUNG PEOPLE WAS DIRECTED FROM POLITICS TO GANGS'

 

Referring to the reflections of individual armament and gang formation in Mersin, Aslan said: "The incidents of violence have increased in the Kurdish neighborhoods of the city. The reason why it is so intense among Kurdish youth is that they are disconnected from the political ground, subjected to cultural assimilation, and are subjected to constant police harassment due to their identity. These young people do not have areas where they can express themselves, and since there are no areas where they can express themselves in social, sports and other fields, they become the direct target of gang organizations. Naturally, since they are economically poor young people, this kind of life is attractive. Kurdish youth are attracted to substance use, associating with gangs, Special war tendencies such as involvement in prostitution have existed for years, but after this process, it is necessary to evaluate all young people in this field, because it has gone from a situation specific to Kurdish youth, to a policy for all young people of Turkey because it is a policy that thinks, questions, and holds accountable. The government does not want youth, it sees such youth as a nuisance."

 

'THE WHOLE SOCIETY PAYS THE PRICE OF SILENCE'

 

Stating that they had been warning for years that the policies carried out in Kurdistan would spread to Turkey, Aslan said: "The armed conflicts carried out there and the security forces entering every area of the city showed us that this would one day reflect on the Turkish field, and today we are experiencing those consequences. Today, our youth, and even the entire society, are paying the price for remaining silent about what happened in that region."

 

'THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS SHOULD START FOR YOUTH'

 

Stating that there has been an increase in violent incidents due to the impunity policies of the judiciary and that the society's trust in justice has been shaken, Aslan said: "People resort to violence to ensure their own justice, and this situation causes an increase in individual armament. In this case, we encounter a wave of violence among young people in society. Since such people have relations with the government, there is no intervention. We must accept young people as subjects again, include them in decision-making mechanisms and start a construction process that takes their demands. A building process that includes young people. We must reveal the political basis and regain our social reflex against violence."

 

MA / Dilan Akyol