Gülistan Azak

 

MALATYA - “As women, we didn’t bow to anything and we won’t.  We will keep taking sides with laborers in every field and every sector. Now I am turning towards agriculture and we will resist against unlawfulness in this field,” said 21 year health worker Fatma Turan, who is making a living from planting tobacco and selling them after being dismissed.

 

Fatma Turan and her husband- a health worker like her- were dismissed from their duties by an emergency decree showing the Tent Assistance and Solidarity Association (Çadır Yardımlaşma ve Dayanışma Derneği) founded by them in order to help the refugees as reason for their dismissal. Fatma was taken into custody after being dismissed and after 11-day detention period, she was released but her husband was jailed. “The barriers that the women face become worse with the issued emergency decrees that leave the women unemployed. Women's struggle to gain economic independence is much heavier than the struggle of the men,” said Fatma.

 

‘We are isolated from society’

 

Fatma stated the women are forcibly isolated from society by ongoing dismissal. Emphasizing that the women are being prevented from strengthening economically, Fatma said the women were imprisoned in the houses through dismissal. Fatma said, “This is a very dangerous situation. Some of our friends committed suicide, had heart attack and died due to these ongoing dismissals. These dismissals should be prevented before they become a social case.

 

“We tried to be the voice of the laborers in all circumstances. Previously we demanded rights for health workers and now we demand rights for agricultural laborers. We will stand by the oppressed in every field. We weren’t satisfied while we were health workers so we won’t be starved while being unemployed. We will keep taking sides with laborers in every field and every sector. Now I am turning towards agriculture and we will resist against unlawfulness in this field.”

 

‘Women can do everything if they want’

 

Expressing that she is taking pleasure in agriculture with her children, Fatma noted that she never went to the field and worked in farming before although she is a woman of the region. Fatma said, “Who knows the benefits of nature better than women? Women can do everything if they want. Women should believe in themselves and should empower the struggle.”