Sena Dolar 

 

ISTANBUL - Feride Eralp from the Implement the Istanbul Convention Campaign Group stated that they will carry out an action every week against the withdrawal decision and that a “Great Women's Rally” will be held on 19 June and said; “If the government does not take a step back by July 1, there will be a revolt day for us on July 1.” and she called on women to be on the street.

 

With the signature of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention was taken at midnight on March 20. On April 30, the decision that the Istanbul Convention would abolish on July 1, 2021, was published in the Official Gazette. Under the leading of the Implement the Istanbul Convention Campaign Group, women carried out protests all over Turkey for weeks with the slogan "The Istanbul Convention is ours, we do not give up". The women who decided to take an action without interruption called for "Let's stop life on July 1".

 

‘Great Women's Rally’ on June 19

 

The Implement the Istanbul Convention Campaign Group recently launched a week-long social media action with the hashtag. In addition, the Women's Platform for Equality (EŞİK) announced that it will hold a "Great Women's Meeting" on June 19 against the abolishment of the Istanbul Convention on July 1. In the statement made with the signature of 88 women's organizations and institutions, it was announced that on June 19, women from all over Turkey will come together in Istanbul to demonstrate their strength and unity.

Feride Eralp from the Campaign Group, who informed our agency about the issue, stated that women will carry out new actions every week.

 

‘Even if the convention is abolished, we will enforce its principle!’

 

Underlining that they will not give up on implementing the principles of the convention and fighting against gender inequality even if the Istanbul Convention is not in force, Feride said: “The struggle is the same before and after July 1. Of course, not having the convention in force means first of all to encourage the killers. Secondly, it means that the mechanisms used by women are not operated properly. There is only one man who has expressed his withdrawal from the convention. Despite this, we did not change the name of the Implement the Istanbul Convention Campaign Group. Our concern is to enforce the basis of the convention. We will establish gender equality in every field we are in.”

 

‘We will lay claim to our demand’

 

Reminding that many sections of the society reacted against the abolition of the Istanbul Convention, Feride expressed that they wanted to organize this reaction. Feride stated that they will both explain the Istanbul Convention and expand the issue of protecting the Convention until July 1, said: “We prepared brochures and stickers to explain the convention. We want not only to be limited to the activities we do in one or two parts of the city, but also to carry out vigils in all neighborhoods and districts of Istanbul, and to spread the demand for gender equality through all means such as stickers, brochures, and leaflets.”

 

‘We will carry out a new action every week’

 

Expressing that the Campaign Group has separate activity plans for each week, Feride stated that this week's activities were held to draw attention to Süleyman Soylu's statement that "there is no unsolved femicide in this country," and said: “Istanbul Convention on gender-based violence It describes four steps to eliminate it. Punishment is one of those steps. If you leave perpetrators of violence unpunished, you encourage violence to another person. To draw attention to this, we share videos with the hashtag every day and ask about the fate of women. Until July 1, we will continue to raise this voice with different actions every week.”

 

‘July 1 is a day of revolt for us’

 

Feride stated that they have mass action plans for July 1 and said that the place and time of the action will be shared in the coming days. Sharing the information that the committee for the 'Great Women's Rally', which will be held on June 19 under the leading of EŞİK, has been formed, Feride said: “We will have an active month in June. "If the government does not step back until July 1 or if there is no change in the decision to withdraw as a result of international processes, July 1 is a day of revolt for us.”

 

‘We have no choice but to be on the street’

 

Underlining once again that the abolition of the Istanbul Convention is an attack on women's lives, Feride said: “If the Istanbul Convention is abolished, they will openly tell us, ‘Your survival is not valuable to us as vote'. In a place where this is declared so openly, we have no choice but to constrict the male state, which does not even give us the right to live. Stay to following us. We will make announcements, but we have no choice but to be on the street together.”