CAT/C/TUR/CO/4 Gender-based violence 45. While noting the State party’s efforts to combat gender-based violence, including domestic violence and so-called “honour killings”, the Committee is concerned at the very low conviction rate for such crimes. The Committee is also concerned at reports that women who have received or applied for protection orders have not received effective protection from the State party’s authorities in practice, resulting in a number of cases in which they were subsequently killed. 46. The State party should: (a) Ensure that all cases of violence against women are thoroughly investigated, that perpetrators are prosecuted and that victims obtain redress, including fair and adequate compensation; (b) Provide better protection and appropriate care for women who seek the assistance of authorities in protecting them from violence, including ensuring that women who apply for protective orders receive meaningful protection in practice and that officials who deny such women effective protection are disciplined; (c) Ensure that all women victims of violence are able to access shelters and receive necessary medical care and psychological support; (d) Conduct effective training on gender-based violence for law enforcement personnel, judges, lawyers and social workers who are in direct contact with victims. Abuse of army conscripts 47. The Committee is concerned about reports of abuse of army conscripts by fellow soldiers. It regrets the absence of information from the State party as to whether, in any of the 204 cases in which soldiers reportedly died in barracks during the period under review, an investigation was conducted that revealed that the death had been the result of abuse by fellow conscripts, and whether any prosecutions were undertaken in such cases (arts. 2, 12, 13 and 16). 48. The State party should ensure prompt, impartial and thorough investigations into all allegations of abuse of conscripts in the army, and into all deaths of conscripts in military barracks, and prosecute and punish those responsible with appropriate penalties. The State party should also ensure that all examinations of complaints against military personnel are carried out by an independent body. The State party is encouraged to provide detailed information on effective measures adopted to prevent and combat such acts. Follow-up procedure 49. The Committee requests the State party to provide, by 13 May 2017, information on follow-up to the Committee’s recommendations relating to the following: the use of countercharges as a means of intimidating detained persons, or their relatives, into not reporting torture (para. 10 (c)); allegations of extrajudicial killings and ill-treatment in the course of counter-terrorism operations (para. 14); measures to ensure that all returnees under the agreement of 18 March 2016 between the European Union and Turkey have the opportunity for an individual review and are protected from refoulement and collective returns (para. 26 (d)); and the detention and prosecution of journalists and human rights defenders as a means of intimidating them or discouraging them from freely reporting (para. 44 (b)). In that context, the State party is invited to inform the Committee about its plans for implementing, within the coming reporting period, some or all of the remaining recommendations in the concluding observations. 11