Address, phone number of women’s shelter disclosed in tender

BOLU – Doğan News Agency

A tender offer for the catering services for a women’s shelter in a local newspaper is published together with the facility’s address and phone numbers. DHA Photo

The Family and Social Policies Directorate in the northwestern province of Bolu has released the address and phone details of a women’s shelter house in the city in its tender offer for catering.

The directorate released the tender offer for the catering services for the women’s shelter in a local newspaper, together with the facility’s address and phone numbers, even though such information is supposed to remain confidential. 

Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Şahin said late Aug. 12 via Twitter that the deputy head of the women’s guest house in Bolu had been suspended from the position and that the tender had been canceled.

“The tender in question has been canceled. Our ministry has started an investigation, and the Bolu Governor’s Office has suspended the deputy head of the women’s guest house from the position for the well-being of the investigation,” Şahin tweeted.

Bolu Gov. İbrahim Özçimen said there would be an investigation into the incident.

“We will ask for inspectors. We have started an investigation into the issue,” said Özçimen, emphasizing that the address and phone information of guest houses for women should remain secret. 

The directorate’s head, Necdet Baytok, said the mistake stemmed from a lack of attention on the part of some staff.

“We are asked for information for public tenders. Our [employees] issued the address and phone numbers [for the shelter house]. Normally, the information about the address and phone numbers of the guest houses should not be disclosed. Our friends did not pay attention. We informed the Family and Social Policies Ministry and the Bolu Governor’s Office about the issue. We do not want any harm to befall the women, but such an unfortunate incident took place,” said Baytok.

Shelters’ addresses should remain confidential, and the addresses for Centers for Preventing and Monitoring Violence are used in correspondence, according to the Family and Social Policies Ministry’s regulation on the management and opening of women’s shelters.

The 17th article of the same regulation cites the confidentiality rules as following: 

1) The guest house can [only] be opened in accordance with the policy of confidentiality. The address and phone numbers of the guest house are kept secret. No signboard revealing the guesthouse can be erected, and there cannot be any opening or groundbreaking ceremonies for the guest houses. 

2) The names of women, children and employees of guest houses cannot be mentioned in correspondence. Special codes for the names can be used if necessary.