On July 1st, , the day that Turkey officially withdrew from the Istanbul Convention, SES Equality and Solidarity Association and women rights activists came together with Koç University’s Dean of Faculty of Law, Prof. Dr. Bertil Emrah Oder. Women’s movement discussed what can be done after this decision and the roadmap of civil society.
On July 1st, , the day that Turkey officially withdrew from the Istanbul Convention, SES Equality and Solidarity Association came together with Koc University’s Dean of Faculty of Law, Prof. Dr. Bertil Emrah Oder. Women’s movement discussed what can be done after this decision and the roadmap of civil society.
Emphasizing that Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention will not change the political and legal importance of the convention in the fight against violence against women in the international arena and will not diminish its value Prof. Dr. Bertil Emrah Oder said, “Turkey could have been a role model and a good example by embracing the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, which it contributed to and pioneered in adopting. Such an opportunity has been lost in the international arena. At the national level, however, it is vital to fight for the protection and growth of the accomplishments won in the battle against violence, particularly the Law No. 6284 on Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. In this environment, programmes produced under the direction of local governments, civil society-local government alliances, and new activism models developed by civil society are critical.”
“Civil society should prepare a ‘shadow action plan'”
Bertil Emrah Oder stated that it is necessary to focus on the inclusiveness of solidarity networks, data collection and monitoring or reporting activities, and said, “Civil society should continue to monitor the current action plans on violence and conduct public audits. However, a ‘shadow action plan’ should also be prepared to combat violence on a local and national scale. With its expertise and knowledge, the Turkish women’s movement has the capacity and dynamism to advise and ultimately affect public policy. Setting numerical targets, determining priorities, and taking into account socioeconomic disparities and vulnerable groups; it can demonstrate what needs to be an alternative to public policy and a shadow action plan to eradicate violence.”
“NGOs should guide companies when collaborating”
Oder stated that public policy on gender equality was more decisive and guiding in former years, but that “now there is the opposite situation.” Civil society organisations are more active than ever before. Companies have emerged as a new actor in the world and in Turkey. We noticed a chorus of dissatisfaction from both firms and the business community in response to the decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention. We can see that successful research have been conducted in this area, and companies have also developed little action plans. However, we must understand that this will not substitute public policy awareness. When non-governmental organisations work with businesses, they should provide guidance and share their experiences.
“The legal process is not over yet”
Taking the floor at the meeting, and drawing attention to the annotations in the Council of State’s decision, Lawyer Hülya Gülbahar stated that the legal process is not over yet, Prof. Dr. Close Ertürk said, “With a competent, concrete, clear, progressive and inclusive action plan, the public should understand that even if the withdrawal has taken place, the Istanbul Convention will not lose anything of its value, and that there will be no going back from the gains and experiences of the women’s movement.”
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s Social Policies Coordinator, Zelal Yalçn, emphasised the significance of the United Nations Women’s “Generation Equality Forum,” as well as the fact that there are processes that have begun and not ended:
Among the six subject areas established by the Generational Equality Forum, IBB will make a three-year commitment under the headings “Gender Based Violence” and “Economic Justice and Rights.” IBB will work for three years in the following areas to empower women living in Istanbul, as part of the ‘Local Equality Action Plan’ revealed to the public on March 8, 2021: Opening a new women’s shelter and keeping a fully staffed bilingual women’s help line establishing 24-hour crisis centres, providing trainings and seminars where women can learn about their legal rights in the face of assault, through IBB’s centers and supporting the safety of women at risk of violence.
Former Ambassador Sumru Noyan, who said that the reason why the Istanbul Convention made such an impact is the power of the women’s movement, stated that local action plans should be prepared so that this voice can be heard from the local as well.
President of the KAMER Foundation, Nebahat Akkoç, stated that the withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention raised a lot of awareness, that people wondered why it was repealed, and that everyone, not only women, should defend the Istanbul Convention.
“The women’s movement did everything to keep the Istanbul Convention in force”
Stating that July 1, 2021, is now a historic day of when Turkey officially left the Istanbul Convention, SES Equality and Solidarity Association Founding President Gülseren Onanç continued: “The women’s movement did everything to keep the Istanbul Convention in force. Women’s organizations, political parties and activists tried the judicial remedies to the fullest, and they worked for the EU and international institutions to take ownership of the process. They ensured that the Istanbul Convention was known and embraced by a large part of the society. They held rallies under pandemic conditions. The President did not give up on his decision to withdraw and as of July 1, Turkey has withdrawn from the convention. We held this meeting to focus on the question of what we will do after the Istanbul Convention. We wanted to talk to the representatives of the women’s movement about our roadmap. With Bertil Emrah Oder’s eye-opening speech, we talked about what can be done in both legal and civil areas. Seeing that our participants will continue to fight with the self-confidence of women’s solidarity increased our hope and courage. Long live women’s solidarity.”