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UK activists, journalists, academics and trade unions support women’s call for an end to the state of emergency in Turkey

Activists, journalists, academics, trade unions in the UK agreed to join forces to act collectively in support of the women and LGBT struggle in Turkey.

UK activists, journalists, academics and trade unions support women’s call for an end to the state of emergency in Turkey

It is not often that women rights and gender inequality gets the media attention it deserves, despite women almost always being the most effected by repressive regimes around the world. But on 20 January, as part of the SPOT (Solidarity with the People of Turkey) Conference on Turkey, workers, activists, journalists, trade unionists, lawyers and many others joined an important workshop in central London on what could be done to strengthen the women’s and LGBT resistance in the context of declining women’s human rights and gender inequality in Turkey.

The discussion was led by Mehveş Evin (Journalist), Ceylan Begüm Yıldız (Academic) and Sarya Tunç (Activitist) who shared their views and experiences of violations of human rights as they relate not just to women, but also to LGBT communities in Turkey. During the workshop speakers and participants engaged in passionate debate on the how best to support the women’s and LGBT movement in Turkey and link the movements in Turkey with those in the UK.

The plight of women and LGBT communities was highlighted during the workshop, particularly as victims of the ongoing state of emergency. Ceylan Begüm Yıldız addressed the workshop, highlighting that the AKP has been using all avenues to attack women and LGBT communities and has been using the state of emergency as a pretext to clamp down harder on women/LGBT rights to freedom of expression and assembly.  Sarya Tunç, drawing on her own experience as an activist in Turkey, told the workshop that Turkey is breaching the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (despite being one of the first countries to ratify), and that under the State of Emergency discriminatory and oppressive laws and regulations which attack women’s right to life, liberty and security have been introduced via statutory decrees.

In this context, workshop participants agreed to join forces to act collectively in support of the women and LGBT struggle in Turkey. It was agreed that SPOT will:

- Raise awareness of and support the work of women-led media organisations such as Jinha and Ekmek ve Gül, which are facing oppression and censorship.
- Support London Pride and LGBT events as a means of engaging Turkish Speaking Communities and raising awareness of LGBT rights in Turkey and the UK.
- Seek to build bridges between children’s organisations in Turkey and the UK to raise awareness of and fight against child abuse.
- Convene a women’s network to explore opportunities for new volunteers and joint working with partners in the UK and Turkey.  
- Organise women’s events with volunteers and partner organisations, for example International Women’s Day, International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women
- Support and initiate social media campaigns to raise awareness of women and LGBT struggle in Turkey.  

'WE WILL NOT GET USED TO THE STATE OF EMERGENCY’

On 15 January 2018, 91 women’s organisations in Turkey issued a joint press release calling for an end to the State of Emergency. This statement was applauded by participants of the SPOT workshop on 20 January and it was agreed that women’s organisations and trade unions in the UK should be invited to share this statement and send messages of solidarity through their websites and social media.

The women’s statement and signatories are provided in English below:

"There are many ways in which the State of Emergency is seen, felt and impacts on our daily lives. There is also a hidden side to it all that has created destruction in the lives of women. Other than all changes seen, felt and effected since the state emergency regime has been declared in Turkey, there is also a hidden side to it all that has created uncertainty among us women.

For us, Turkey’s current state of emergency does not necessarily just mean being uneasy about the conflict that may arise on the streets. For us this insecurity is felt in our homes, at work and on the streets.  It means living with the insecurity of not knowing who may wrongly inform authorities with accusations against us at work, the uncertainty of whether we will be granted a lawyer when under arrest and whether our families will be informed of our wellbeing.

It means being wrongly dismissed from work and forced to become dependent on our husbands, brothers, fathers or boyfriends. It means men holding the purse strings at home becoming more powerful, being subject to violence if we dare to object and our domestic labour being even more exploited.
It means women’s charities and local government departments for women’s support being shut down. All the while trying to create a more promising future for our children while struggling with uncertainty and insecurity. Under the pretext of security concerns, it means not being able exist as an LGBT individual in your neighbourhood, street, and even in your own home. Under the pretext of security concerns, it means witnessing people you know and your neighbours, who you just spoke to yesterday and you were trying to understand, slowly turn against you.

It means the legitimisation of Islamic religious law, child molestation, sexual assault and rape. It means standing up to hate. It means understanding that you cannot build a future on hate. It means the voice of women in media disappearing, and as our voice is silenced the number of women murdered rising. It means women in parliament being left out of politics. It means the usurpation of our rights and our hard won democratic and social gains. It means everything, our lives today and our futures, being shaped by statutory decrees.  

IS IT NOT OBVIOUS WHY WE DO NOT WANT THE STATE OF EMERGENCY?

Statutory Decree No.696 by itself is enough for us to want the ‘state of emergency’ to be lifted. In a land where men can slaughter women and walk freely for good behaviour or with a reduced sentence after claiming that they were ‘provoked’, the police and judiciary protect men. Under the new statutory decree, armed men who commit murder will not even face trial if they claim to be taking a stance against the coup attempt. This decree provides legal protection to “some” civilians who are in effect exempt from trial if they commit murder, violence and torture.  We also no longer believe in the announcements saying that these cases will be “limited to the July 15th coup attempt”. Even different sections of government made announcements contradicting each other. Also, with recent changes, individuals on trial for “constitutional offences” are now forced to wear a uniform. We can see that these changes provide some people a coat of armour to protect them against punishment, whilst others have their dignity trampled on through a trial process with compulsory uniforms in which it is clear that the verdict will be guilty.

ALL TOGETHER WE CALL FOR THE STATE OF EMERGENCY ‘OHAL’ TO BE LIFTED!

THE SYSTEM OF STATUTORY DECREES THAT IS CREATING DEEPER CONFLICTS, POVERTY, INEQUALITY, INJUSTICE AND LEGITIMISING HATE AND VIOLENCE SHOULD END. 

ALL LEGISLATION PASSED OUTSIDE OF DUE-DEMOCRATIC PROCESS, PARTICULARLY THE MOST RECENT STATUTORY DECREES SHOULD BE CANCELLED.

WE REFUSE TO GET USED TO NORMALISATION OF THE ‘STATE OF EMERGENCY’!

Signed by:
DİSK Women’s Commission, KESK Women’s Council, TMMOB Women’s Working Group, TTB Women Doctors Women’s Health Wing, 17+ Alevi Women, Women from the 78' Federation, Adana Women’s Platform, Aka-Der Women’s Organisation, Anarchist Women, Ankara Women’s Platform, Antalya Women’s Support and Solidarity Centre, Ayvalik Independent Women’s Initiative, Women’s Initiative for Peace, Bodrum Women’s Solidarity Centre, Buca Evka One Woman Culture and Solidarity Centre (BEKEV). Defne Women’s Labour Collective, Demir Leblebi,  Democratic Islam Congress – Women’s Council, Didim Kibele Women’s Solidarity and Help Centre, Women of the World Demonstration Turkey Coordinators, Ekmek ve Gul (Bread and Roses), Women from The Labour Party of Turkey (EMEP), Women from the Bread and Justice Platform, Erktolia, Esenyalı Women’s Solidarity Centre, We are equal – Women’s Equality Monitoring Group, FeminAmfi, FKF Women, Young LGBTİ+ Centre, GEN-DER Society & Gender Studies Collective , Gülsuyu Gülensu Women’s Refuge, Halkevci Women, Hatay Women’s Platform, HDK Women’s Councils, HDP Women’s Council, Human Rights Association Ankara Women’s Commission,  Progressive Women’s Council, Imece Domestic Workers Union, İskenderun Women’s Platform, Women from the Workers' Fraternity Party, Izmir Women’s Solidarity Centre, Gynaecology Magasine, We Will Stop Femicides Platform, Women’s Freedom Council, Women Writers Association, Muslim initiative to end violence against women, Campus Witches (Kampüs Cadıları), Kocaeli Bread and Roses Women’s Solidarity Centre,  Körfez Independent Women’s Solidarity,  Northern Forest Defence Women –KOSKA, Lambdaİstanbul, Women of Maltepe,  Mardin Women’s Platform, Mersin Women’s Platform, Purple Solidarity, Nar Women’s Solidarity,  Libertarian Lawyers' Association – Women’s Commission, Queer Eskişehir Lgbti Community, Samandağ Women’s Labour Collective, SODA Social Solidarity Network, Socialist Women’s Councils, SYKP Women’s Council, Tevgera Jinên Azad-TJA, Psychologists for Social Solidarity (TODAP) Women’s Commission, Turkey Women’s Associations Federation,  Uçan Süpürge Women’s communications and research association, Graduate Women’s Collective, New Democratic Woman, Green Feminists, Yoğurtçu Women’s Forum and Resistance Platform for Abducted Women.

TRANSLATION BY SINEM KARTAL

ABOUT SPOT

SPOT, Solidarity with the People of Turkey, was formed shortly after the Gezi uprising summer of 2013. As new, corruptive and oppressive developments continues to intensify in Turkey, we sought to support the struggle of the people of Turkey and have formed SPOT. Among this fundamental aim, the SPOT platform aims to contribute to the working people's struggle in the UK by forming a bridge between Turkish speaking communities living in the UK and the local work force in the country.


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