Women and Journalists Hand in Hand against Violence

Women rights defenders and representatives of media organizations met in Izmir for a workshop entitled "Social Gender Equality and the Media" for a joint struggle against women murders and for social gender equality.

The workshop was organized by the Izmir Women Coordination against Violence. In the final resolution it was emphasized that women should create their own media and dissociate from the general sexist approach of the media.

The declaration was announced on Wednesday (2 March) at the Izmir Bar Association by Coordination spokeswoman Derya Koptekin, Prof. Sevda Alankuş, Dean of the Izmir Economics University (İEÜ) Communications Faculty and educational advisor for BIA, the President of the Izmir Bar Association, Sema Pektaş, and Atilla Sertel, Head of the Turkish Journalists Federation (TGF).

Koptekin, Alankuş and Pektaş explained the problems that had been determined during the workshop, analysed their reasons and suggested solutions worked out by the participants.

They described the right to social gender equality as a fundamental human right together with the right to life. The representatives stressed that the social responsibility of the media against the violation of this right should be redefined.

"Women and LGBTT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transvestite and transgender) individuals are exposed to discrimination due to their ethnic, religious, cultural and racial characteristics. They become objects of all sorts of violence very easily. The reasons for rights violations regarding this "othering" stem from social, cultural, historical, political and economic grounds that emerged from within Turkey. We request the media representatives who want a solution to behave likewise and to become an active part of the solution".

TGF President Sertel pointed to the importance of a joint struggle of the media and the society as initiated by the meeting in Izmir against violence against women and social gender inequality as two of the most pressing problems of Turkey. He announced the federation's full support for the corresponding work.

Sertel announced that the final resolution of the meeting was going to be forwarded to 69 journalist associations in Turkey. On behalf of the journalists he promised to work on a more responsible journalism, on settling an according understanding of journalism and on creating awareness in the media in order to end violence and social gender inequality. (EÜ/VK)