In her speech Çubukçu identified violence against women as one of the
biggest problems of the 21st century. Explaining that women faced violence
more frequently in the family -- usually considered a secure place for
women -- she said: "With this project, we are taking the first of many
steps to be implemented. This project aims at protecting and improving
human rights of women and preventing the custom and honor-related murders.
Also, their social, political and cultural status will be strengthened and
improved. It is our fundamental target to eliminate all kinds of
discrimination against women.” She also said there would be a concentrated
effort to prevent domestic violence.
The project, which will be implemented by the General Directorate of
Women’s Status, for two years with technical support from the UN
Population Fund (UNFPA) and financial support from the European
Commission.
Within the framework of the project, Turkey will first conduct
research to disclose the scope of violence against women. The results of
this research will be used as a guide for further projects. After the
research is completed the government will establish a database to record
and follow future violence against women nationwide. Finally, a national
activity plan will be formulated so as to decide to whom, how and where to
intervene in order to prevent violence. These national activities will
then be localized by local governing bodies. Educational activities will
be a central part of the project. Institutions serving the victims of
violence will be subject to further education, and the number of the
women’s shelters be increased. The project, with a budget of €2.9 million,
will be completed in two years. The day to day running of the project will
be undertaken by the Directorate General on the Status of Woman, technical
support will come from the UNFPA and financial support from the EU.
The project, introduced by Minister Çubukçu, emerged after the
report by the Parliamentary Commission on Investigation of Violence
against Women and Custom-Related Murders was turned into a prime ministry
circular in which duties were distributed to ministries. This report was
the result of the five-month work of the parliamentary commission set up
to investigate violence against women and customs-related murders. In the
section titled Conclusions and Proposals, the duties of the Education
Ministry, Justice Ministry, Employment and Social Security Ministry, Radio
and Television Higher Board (RTÜK), Directorate of Religious Affairs, and
other bodies were detailed. For the first time in Turkey, a parliamentary
investigation report was turned by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan into a
prime ministry circular, which was then sent to relevant ministries.
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Gaziantep Deputy Fatma Şahin
told Today’s Zaman that following this report, 40,000 police officers in
the Interior Minister had begun working on the issue. The Office of Chief
of General Staff launched training for soldiers while the Education
Ministry set out to review the photos and stories in school books that
aggrieve women or present them as secondary citizens, Fatma Şahin
remarked. Add that that these issues had previously been brought up, she
said that for the first time the ruling party had set up a commission.
European Commission Representative Irma Gynther Karppinen said that
this project would help to change perspectives on violence against women
in Turkey. Commenting that the European Commission published last week a
road map concerning equality of man and woman, Karppinen said that
establishment of an information system was desired.
Karppinen found the priority given by the public and private sector
to women’s issues in Turkey as a positive development: “The current
mindset should be changed. The violence against women should not be
considered as a normal action by men or women.” UNFPA vice-representative
Tunga Tüzer stressed that violence against women was a breach of human
rights. Claiming that fighting against violence against women was an
intrinsic part of providing gender equality in society, Tüzer said that
UNFPA decided to use the principle of “First youth and women” for the next
five years and to support activities within this scope.
Şahin: “CHP delivered dissenting opinion on the
report”
Şahin said that a Republican People’s Party (CHP)
deputy who was in the same commission delivered her dissenting opinion to
the report. “We have worked together for four months but at the end, with
a view to adding an ideological dimension, she delivered a dissenting
opinion, arguing the AK Party was trying to Islamicize society and the
rights of Kemalist women had been breached. We have worked so closely for
four months,” she said.
Şahin maintained that they were conducting research on the
employment of women in the new term. Arguing that women were excluded with
respect to their social status, Şahin said that they were undertaking a
project in order to ensure the inclusion of women. She said that this
project turned into a bill that was being discussed in the Parliamentary
Planning and Budgetary Commission, and they hoped that it would pass in
the parliament as soon as possible.
CHP Deputy: “Murder was committed through the agency of the
state”
CHP İzmir Deputy Canan Arıtman told Today’s Zaman that
her dissenting opinion had no ideological basis. She said the regulations
proposed by the CHP were ignored in the report, and the project’s
proposals were superficial. Arıtman said: “A murder was committed through
the agency of the state in Başkale district of Van. A 15-year-old girl who
sought refuge in state authorities due to her fears stemming from local
customs was returned to her family. And that girl was killed by her family
after two days. This a murder committed through the agency of the state.”
Within the framework of the government’s initiative, the Anger
Control Program, launched by the Justice Ministry in three pilot prisons
will be implemented in all prisons this year. The Interior Ministry has
signed a protocol concerning the Protection and Development of Women and
Girls with the UNFPA Turkish Representation Office, according to which
local action plans will be prepared and the cities that pre-defined
criteria will be designated as a city “that supports women.”
One of the most striking examples is provided by the Directorate of
Religious Affairs. The directorate has been trying to restraint violence
against women through sermons and radio and TV speeches in 81 provincial
religious departments. The directorate has also established solidarity
offices for women. In addition to women easily being able to establish
contacts with women, the directorate has increased the number of its
female staff members. Currently, there are eight female deputy provincial
religious heads and 4,000 female staff members in the directorate.