Women Want Shelters, not Tombs

Women from 16 women's institutions and groups in Istanbul petitioned the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality on Monday and asked for the establishment of women's shelters and consultation centers.

The Women's Shelters General Assembly, which is made up of 19 women's institutions in Adana, Izmir, Istanbul, Antalya, Mersin, Ankara, Diyarbakir, Canakkale and Kocaeli supported the demands of the Platform Against Violence Directed to Women.

The platform is made up of women's groups including, Labourer Women's Union, Amargi, Peace Mothers Initiative and Women Solidarity Foundation. These institutions are also planning to petition the municipalities of the provinces they are in, for the establishment of women's shelters and consultation centers.

The women, who have gathered under the Platform Against Violence Directed to Women, said the state is responsible for preventing violence against women and for protecting women in line with the international conventions Turkey has ratified.

The draft law on municipalities, that is to be discussed by the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) this week, requires that municipalities in places with more than 50,000 in population should have one woman's and children's shelter, reminded the women.

The representatives from the women's institutions added that according to European Union (EU) criteria, state institutions should establish one shelter per every 7,500 people. They said, in line with this criterion, there should be 9,040 shelters in Turkey. "However, there is only nine," they said.

The women also criticized the fact that, according to the draft municipality law, there should be only one shelter per 50,000 people.

The women said setting up women's shelters and consultation centers would not be enough to prevent violence against women and added that they would spend efforts to change the man-dominated and sexually discriminatory laws and mentality.

Some 40 representatives of the Platform Against Violence Directed to Women, made a press statement in front of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality building after handing their petition to officials.

The statement, read by Neslihan Turkan and Asya Tekin on behalf of the platform, stated that one out of every four women in Turkey is faced with violence. It added that many women in Turkey are killed in the name of "honor." The statement was read in Turkish and Kurdish.

Turkan said Turkey was among countries with the highest rate of violence against women and added that this violence was regarded as legitimate. She argued that the state and local administrations were not taking the necessary steps to prevent violence against women or to protect women.

The women called on all municipalities in Turkey to set up women's shelters, to take precautions so that the existing shelters are not closed down, and they added that women's institutions should have the right to express opinion about and monitor the shelters.

They said that they would pursue legal action if they do not receive a response for their petition within 60 days.

Last week, some 15 women's groups had petitioned the Ankara municipality with the same demands. (ÖG/EA/YE)