Women have no control over their own bodies in many parts of the world because gender inequality caused by a male-dominated societal system reduces women to second-class citizens, a bipartisan group of female parliamentary deputies said Thursday.
he deputies’ joint statement was made to speak out on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. There were also many marches in cities around Turkey, including one hosted by the ruling party’s women’s branch in Istanbul.
Female deputies have put aside their political identities and are working together against violence, Güldal Akşit, a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, said quoting the statement during a press conference in Parliament. Akşit is also president of Parliament’s Commission on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women.
The group said 39 percent of Turkish women were subject to physical and emotional violence, but the problem could be remedied by educating women about their rights, thus empowering them to take control.
The cross-party group of deputies made speeches after the press release was read, some displaying conflicting views on the matter.
“We do not want our leaders to say ‘every woman should have three children.’ We want them to say ‘educate yourselves, work and stand on your own two feet,’” said Canan Arıtman, speaking for the Republican People’s Party, or CHP.
Fatma Şahin, also speaking for the AKP, responded to Arıtman, saying the prime minister’s call for three children was based on “scientific facts that reveal Turkey’s population is increasingly becoming older.”
Sevahir Bayındır, speaking for the Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, spoke of her injuries sustained after police used pressurized water in Silopi. Bayındır had been absent from Parliament “for almost a year,” recovering from a broken hip.
“If I, as a deputy, was subject to violence from the government under the mentality of ‘protection,’ that reveals how helpless the other unemployed, unprotected women are,” said Bayındır.
The CHP also released a written statement outlining their course of action regarding the matter.
“It is our promise that passing a law to tackle honor killings will be the first action our party will take once in power. We will do what the AKP has failed to do and ensure that honor killings will be penalized with the severest punishment possible,” stated the party’s women’s branch in a press release.
Marches across the country
To mark the day, women also marched in the streets in support of the cause in Istanbul, İzmir and other cities across the country.
In Istanbul, the women’s branch of the ruling AKP staged a march from Galatasaray High School to Taksim Square.
At the square, branch head Ayfer Yamam made a speech, saying governmental practices and regulations were not enough to end discrimination against women, but that a change of mentality is needed.
Yaman also said the party was following the regulations protecting the rights of women with sensitivity.
During the march, the female AKP members carried banners that read “No to Honor Killings” and “No to Domestic Violence.”
“Every kind of violence is identical with illiteracy and has no place in our world,” Yaman said after the march. “We are here in peace and we have raised generations who will stand against all kinds of abuse and mistreatment.”