Aydın Doğan Foundation, UN hold ‘violence against women’ event

Zeynep Bilgehan – ISTANBUL

The Aydın Doğan Foundation, the United Nation’s Women’s Organization, daily Hürriyet, Fitside and Boğaziçi University have organized a “violence against women” event at the university aiming to raise awareness on the issue.

Boğaziçi University’s deputy rector Prof. Zeynep Atay, Aydın Doğan Foundation’s Executive Council Chairwoman Candan Fetvacı, acting U.N. Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia and Representative to Turkey Alia El-Yassir, Turkish Confederation of Women’s Associations head Canan Güllü and Professor Ayşen Ufuk Sezgin from Istanbul University gave speeches at the event, which was held to mark Nov. 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

At the event, the participants stressed that violence against women and girls can only be prevented with a “zero tolerance” approach, while also discussing current deficiencies in the struggle against violence targeting women.

Young women who attended the event were told that they should raise their voices and not remain silent if they are subjected to sexual harassment, rape or abuse. They were also told to have self-esteem and notify related institutions, police or emergency phone lines if they face such incidents.

Fitside Personal Training instructors Murat Şinikçi and Birol Keçebaş, meanwhile, spoke about the physiological changes in the bodies of people subjected to violence or rape, also providing information on how to combat those changes and how to prevent violence and harassment in the first place.