Minister Calls for Womens Summit
The letter sent through the General Directorate of the Status of Women (KSGM) explained that deficiencies in enforcing a July 4 circular issued by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on "Measures to be Enforced to Prevent Acts of Violence Against Children and Women and Custom and Honor Killings" would be discussed during the meeting together with measures that needed to be taken.
The letter said public institutions trusted with the responsibility of enforcement and creating the preventative letters would talk on the issue during the meeting.
On July 6, a total of 54 women organizations had held a meeting with Minister Cubukcu where they welcomed Erdogan's landmark circular as a positive step and requested for their views to be heard in any meeting held on the issue.
Following the meeting with Cubukcu, the organizations then sent her a letter asking for women movement representatives to be present at the Monitoring Council foreseen to examine and monitor the enforcement of the Prime Minister's circular.
Cubukcu is now expected to invite Civil Society Organization (STK) and women organization representatives to the September 8 meeting in Ankara.
At current those invited consist of Ministries and public offices such as the State Planning Organization. The European Union General Secretaries office, Higher Education Board, Religious Affairs Directorate, Social Services and Child Protection Institute, General Directorate of Family and Social Researches and the Radio Television Supreme Board are also invited to be the meeting alongside chairmen of leading Turkish unions and various other civil society organiations.
The "Positive Discrimination" circular
Prime Minister Erdogan's landmark official circular was issued to all ministries, governors' offices, local administrations and public institutions instructing them to enforce proposed solutions to deal with violence against women and children, custom/honor killings and media violence problems.
The July 4 circular published in the Official Gazette and undersigned by the Prime Minister, came in light of the government's acceptance of a Parliament Investigation Commission report calling for positive discrimination to be enforced by the state until equality is established between women and men in the Turkish society.
Set up on June 28, 2005 to look specifically into the issue of violence, "the Commission concluded its work and prepared a detailed report stating the reasons of violence against women and children with measures that can be taken to prevent it" the PM's official circular said.
It added that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government accepted the proposed measures in the report that identifies violence targeting women under three groups and describes "Custom and honor killings" as being the most wide-spread form of this violence.
Each section of the report that the PM's circular referred to, consisted of an identification of the problem, protective measures in that field, institutions that offer services and what needs to be done under separate sections of health and law together with proposed measures to the taken.
The proposals included such measures as applying positive discrimination during employment for the prevention of gender discrimination at work to producing spot films raising public awareness on violence against women, accompanied by a nation-wide campaign on the issue.
The report clearly stated that "policies against equality between women and men, legislations and practices of this form should be abolished. Until an equality between women and men is created in the society, positive discrimination to women should be accepted as a state policy".
It even called for the Directorate of Religious Affairs to take its part in the campaign for women introducing sermons and prayers discouraging violence, increasing awareness through publications.
Effective Measures
Among other measures, the report cited by the PM's circular called for effective measures to be enforced in practice including:
* A 24 hour nation-wide "Violence Hotline" to be set up and manned by trained professions.
* The Framework Equality Law to be passed by parliament immediately.
* Changes in the Political Parties Law encouraging the participation of women in politics.
* A full review of the legislation for women hostels and homes to be made in accordance with European Union standards and made to function within the new standards.
* For Media Monitoring Groups to be set up by non-governmental bodies and an auto-control to be imposed through the day to day monitoring of the media.
* The introduction of stringent ethical values in the planning of programs and broadcasting, avoiding child abuse, gender discrimination, pornography, degradation of women and prejudice broadcasts.
* For health personnel, justice personnel, security forces, teachers, social service experts, psychologists, child development experts and other profession groups to be involved in educational programs on violence against women.
Coordination between public institutions on the issues of violence against women and custom/honor killings is provided by the General Directorate of the Status of Women (KSGM) under the new initiative.
The PM's circular stated that these institutions would provide quarterly activity reports in their own fields and exchange information between them on measures proposed and taken. (AD/II/YE)
