To the dismay of women and LGBTQ rights groups, a memorandum of understanding on ‘Common Policies’ announced this week, which summarizes the opposition’s future plans and promises after winning the elections, doesn’t include a single sentence regarding Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention and LGBTI+ rights.
The Nation Alliance announced this week a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on “common policies”, which summarizes the opposition’s future plans and promises after winning the elections.
In the 240-page text more than two thousand new regulations are envisaged consisting of 9 main titles and 75 subtitles.
However, to the dismay of women and LGBTQ rights groups, MOU on Common Policies which will constitute the main axis of the election manifesto and government program of the presidential candidate of the alliance doesn’t include a single sentence regarding Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention and LGBTI+ rights.
“Sex, ethnic origin, religion, settlement, state of heath and socioeconomic circumstances” are regarded while discussing struggle against discrimination under different headings within the scope of the text. Sexual orientation and gender identity are not mentioned and listed among causes of discrimination.
According to the consensus text, Table of Six, six opposition parties, promises to reconstitute “Ministry of Family and Social Services” into “Ministry of Woman, Family and Children”. However returning to the Istanbul Convention, which was revoked by presidential decree, is not among the promises of the alliance.
On the other side, “We are going to prioritize protecting and safeguarding the family institution” statement takes place as a principle under the part subtitled “Family and Child” of the text.
The text has risen concerns over women and LGBTQ rights groups.
Oğulcan Yediveren from SPoD, conveyed their impressions obtained during their contacts on the Constitution. Remarking that they realized that the opposition parties would not speak of LGBTI+s overtly during their contacts on the Constitution, they said “However, they could at least adopt a different approach in terms of family regarding the economic and social policies and they could make an individual based right definition. Family policy of the government is closely linked to its economic and social policies. They aim to create a uniform and obedient family. The table of six could not go out of the frame either.”
Yediveren remarked that while the “family” as a concept is being used 77 times within the scope of the text, “LGBTI+” or “gender” have not been mentioned even once. Criticizing the family based policies of the opposition parties they said “They use a concept as domestic problems however violence against women is not mentioned even once. In addition the issue of social housing and heating is addressed through low-income families. Don’t people without families, have housing problems? Don’t they need heating?”
Remarking that the table of six could not adopt a new policy apart from the social policy mentality, which is in desire of protecting charity culture, of AKP Yediveren continued as follows:
“They don’t adopt a rights-based approach. This is a very confused text, and they don’t know what they want. The argument that they kept silent on certain issues with the aim of winning the election has also lost validity. In the last instance, the consensus text is about what they will do after winning the election. They could have used a language that would empower individuals. They didn’t do that either. They turned into a legitimate basis of the new regime intended to be established by AKP. It is obvious that the table of six will be the follower of that regime. They may smarten it up a little, however I don’t expect much more than it.”
Sources: KaosGL, Medyascope, Bianet