Women protest violence amid ongoing murders

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

Hundreds of activists and human rights defenders march to protest violence against women in capital Ankara. DAILY NEWS photo, Selahattin SÖNMEZ

In the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Turkish Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Şahin said they considered violence as a violation of basic human rights, and to prevent that the ministry targeted a mentality change which could be possible by changing the legal framework concerning the issue.

“We turned fight against violence as a social mobilization and this signature campaign is a part of this plan,” Şahin said speaking at the ceremony yesterday.

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Şahin said they started in the fight against domestic violence in 2002 with only a call center and a few workers, yet have strengthened their program into a 24 hour hotline, which is working with experts all around Turkey.

Hundreds of women protested the violence yesterday across Turkey with a number of protests. Also, as part of these events a Zero Tolerance to Violence Against Women campaign kicked started in Istanbul on Nov.24.

The first step of the campaign was White Ribbon Signature Night held in Istanbul on Nov 24. with participation of Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Şahin, daily Hürriyet Chair of the Board Vuslat Doğan Sabancı, Justice and Development Party (AKP) Women Branches General Director Güldal Akşit, as well as Turkish celebrities like Türkan Şoray and Ajda Pekkan.

Daily Hürriyet Chair of the Board Vuslat Doğan Sabancı passed information about the studies carried out within the media company.

“We launched education buses travelling from one neighborhood to another, giving information to both men and women against gender-based violence with participation of legal experts, psychologists, and tutors.

Later on we started similar training projects within the corporation, giving seminars to all 1500 Hürriyet employees about how to fight against violence. This project included reconfiguring our publishing policies,” she added.