Main Opposition CHP Vice Chair Slams 1 Percent Budget Allocated for Women

* Photo: Anadolu Agency

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Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Vice Chair and İstanbul MP Gamze Akkuş-İlgezdi has addressed the Parliament about the 2020 Budget of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services.

Taking the floor on behalf of the CHP Group, CHP Vice Chair Akkuş-İlgezdi has reminded the MPs that the budget allocated to the Ministry is the second largest one with 125 billion 8 million lira and emphasized that 84 percent of this budget is spent for mandatory payments.

CLICK - Only 0.38 Percent of Budget Allocated to Women's Shelters

Underlining that several things could be done for women with this money, such as opening centers for preventing violence, preventing abuse, rape and child marriage and ensuring women's participation in workforce, she has said that "none of these could be done" and explained the reason as follows:

'This budget doesn't keep woman alive, but kills her'

"Because the government has allocated only 1 percent to the Directorate General of Women's Status. The budget of the Directorate General means 3 lira (approx. 50 cent) per woman.

"If and only 3 lira is allocated per woman. In fact, you think that women deserve all this violence, harassment and poverty... This budget that allocates 3 lira to a woman does not keep her alive, but kills her. We reject this budget that destroys the future."

'If there is no democracy, there is no human'

The reason behind the economic crisis is a severe crisis of democracy, according to Akkuş-İlgezdi:

"There is a one-man rule that does not account before the public, does not observe the rule of law and rejects the separation of powers.

"It is nothing but a dream to think that you can resolve the problems of the budget before resolving the problem of democratic legitimacy. Because, if there is no democracy, then there is no right, no law, not budget and - above all else - there is no human."

'We reject this budget'

Referring to the budget as "the budget of the capital, rather than that of the labor", Akkuş-İlgezdi has also underlined that the 2020 budget of the country disregarded women, laborers, pensioners, unemployed people and children, namely all segments of the society:

"We promise our all citizens who pay a price to stay alive all through their lives: If 20 million women do not participate in workforce, if 514 thousand women were subjected to violence, we do not accept this misogynist budget.

"If our 23 million children are stuck in a circle of harassment, rape, violence and illiteracy, if almost 700 children get married in 16 years, we reject this budget that destroys the future." (EMK/SD)