To: Government of Turkey and Political Parties in the Parliament of Turkey
Campaıgn & Petıtıon From Turkey: Mınıstry Responsıble For Women Shouldn’t Be Annulled
As women’s organizations, we have been hearing rumors about the fact that the government of Turkey is planning to take a backwards step by annulling the separate “State Ministry responsible for Women, Family and Social Services” and creating a new Ministry with the name of “FAMILY and Social Services”. Our worries increased further when these rumors found coverage in the mass media as government plans. We have written letters, made a press statement, asked for an appointment but did not get any answers or explanation from the government.
This new Ministry is planned to serve for and be responsible for women, young people, children, elderly people, and people with disabilities under which all state institutions working for the advancement of all these groups will be merged. Taking “WOMEN” out of the name of the Ministry and replacing it with “FAMILY” is a dangerous, a backwards step for women’s rights; such a change indicates a mentality which associates women (and all other groups above) only with the family and not as individuals. We have to STOP this all together!
We don’t want to wake up to find that the what we have fought for for so many years has been silently destroyed.
The petition text is below. Please sign the petition online if you want to take action and help us to disseminate the campaign BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!
Petition text:
According to news coverage in the mass media, the government of Turkey started its preparations for annulling the Ministry responsible for Women and Family and to replace it with “Family and Social Services Ministry”. In a country in which at least 5 women are killed; women are nearly non-existent in the parliament and other decision-making bodies; comes at the bottom of world rankings in poverty, education, and health criteria, the fact that the only state mechanism responsible for maintaining gender equality is being annulled is unacceptable. With this petition, we demand from the government to step back from this initiative; to make necessary re-arrangements with the aim of creating a functioning executive Ministry responsible for maintaining gender equality independent from the family. This issue is very urgent and critical!
Sincerely,
Click here to sign the petition