President Erdoğan denounces discrimination against women

ISTANBUL

Turkey has made very serious arrangements in its legislation to protect women’s rights and eliminate discriminatory practices, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, stressing that societies that discriminate against women would not have a promising future.

“I wish [a happy] March 8 International Women’s Day to all the women of our country and the world. I present my respect to the wives and children of our martyrs,” he said at an event marking the day on March 8.

“In our belief, being a martyr’s mother and child is a special status. As a state, it is our duty to protect the trust left by our martyrs in the best way,” he said.

The future of any society that sees women as commodities rather than human beings, just because of their gender, cannot be bright, he said.

The rate of women’s participation in Turkey’s workforce has increased from 27.9 to 34.9 percent, while the proportion of women in total employment has increased from 25.3 to 28.8 percent, he stated.

Erdoğan said women’s participation in the labor force would further strengthen Turkey. The president added that the ratio of 104 women lawmakers out of 600 in Turkey’s parliament was not sufficient yet still a good ratio.

“Women pay the heaviest bill of each crisis with children. But humanity remains silent against it,” the president said.

Erdoğan also stressed that women refugees and children were suffering the most from the war in Syria. Most of the residents in Turkish refugee camps are women and children, he noted.

He also highlighted that a majority of the refugees rushing to the border crossings between Turkey and Europe were women and children.