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It was meant to be a pre-emptive salvo against an alleged feminist onslaught on “family values”. But President Recep Tayyip’s overnight decision on March 20 to pull Turkey out of the Istanbul Convention, the first legally-binding international treaty on preventing and combating violence against women, may not be the fatal blow to global women’s rights that many fear. Erdogan’s decision has rightly raised concerns that he may also backpedal from other laws and measures that protect women from threats and violence from partners. With several European Union states also having second thoughts about the treaty, many worries that Turkey’s move may encourage other countries to follow suit.