Nişmiye Güler 

 

ISTANBUL - WWHR-New Ways member Hilal Gencay stated that the government started a war on the concept of gender equality by withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention and said, ‘’We did not gain our rights easily, we will not give up easily too’’.

 

After the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed on December 10, 1948, December 10 is celebrated as Human Rights Day. Human rights are drawn attention with the actions and activities spread over the week of 10-17 December. Turkey is among the countries that signed this declaration. However, the right to be protected from arbitrary arrest, imprisonment and exile, the right to a fair trial in independent and impartial courts, and the freedoms of thought, conscience, religion, assembly and association, as well as rights such as life, freedom and personal security, are among the rights that are still discussed in Turkey. While women, in particular, cannot benefit from many of these rights, the policies of the governments are the main reason for this. Instead of creating an environment of prosperity where freedoms exist, the governments standardize the peoples and impose nationalism.

 

Hilal Gencay,  a member of Women for Women’s Human Rights – New Ways (WWHR-New Ways), made evaluations about what has been experienced in women’s rights in Turkey in the recent year and regarding Turkey’s women’s rights carnet.

 

‘Holistic policies are difficult without a roadmap’

 

Reminding that ‘’the event that left its mark in the year 2021 in terms of women’s rights was Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention,’’ Hilal stated that it was the first time a country had withdrawn from a human rights convention signed and ratified. Hilal underlined that the Istanbul Convention is the most comprehensive international convention ever produced on violence against women and domestic violence, and offers a very detailed and holistic roadmap on how to prevent violence. Hilal said, ‘’It can be said that without the guidance of this roadmap, which takes the fight against gender inequality at its center, it becomes much more difficult for the state to progress with holistic policies on this issue. This understanding, which removed the concept of gender equality from development plans, national action plans for combat violence against women, and ended all public projects aimed at improving gender equality, reveals very clearly that the concept which is being waged war against is the concept of gender equality’’.

 

‘Women were confronted with all types of violence’

 

Stating that women were confronted with all types of violence in 2021, as in previous years, Hilal emphasized that there has been a serious increase in male violence data. Hilal stated that women also have difficulties in accessing education and health services this year. She underlined that women are not able to benefit from their sexual and reproductive rights and economic rights sufficiently. Drawing attention to the impact of the pandemic, Hilal said, ‘’Due to the deepening effects of the pandemic conditions, they experienced all these rights violations more intensely’’.

 

The role of government and judiciary

 

Pointing to the role of the government and judiciary in Turkey’s women’s rights carnet, Hilal said, ‘’We can say that the withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention is the most important loss in women’s rights in 2021. When there was wanted to be unlawful pull out from Istanbul Convention, women continued their rights struggle in this matter as well, and they filed suit to stop the execution of this decision. However, the decision on the lawsuits filed on this issue has been delayed a lot, and the decisions given so far have come to confirm that the President can make a decision on this issue, even though they are unconstitutional. Even this situation alone is enough to show us the role of government and judiciary about women’s rights’’.

 

‘As a result of struggle, women achieved important gains’

 

Hilal also spoke about President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Tayyip Erdoğan’s claim that there was progress in women’s rights during his rule, and pointed out that there has been a 30-year women’s struggle in Turkey, and that as a result of this struggle, women have achieved very important gains in all areas of life. Hilal said, ‘’Ignoring the struggle of women of many years, and the decision to pulling out from the Istanbul Convention, which was signed under his rule, despite women, shows us the perception that is desired to be created’’.

 

‘We will not give up from our rights’

 

Hilal called on women not to give up the struggle for their rights and said, ‘’Women will not give up the struggle today, as they always do. They will continue to defend their rights in a stronger and more crowdedly than yesterday. We did not gain our rights easily, we will not give up easily too’’.