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18th Congress of Women’s Shelter and Solidarity Centers has published its final declaration.
Women’s Organizations struggling against male violence against women, feminists, women working in organizations linked to Municipalities and Ministry of Family and Social Policies have gathered for the Congress in Ankara on November 14-16 for the 18th time.
This year, 325 Women from 41 provinces, 60 Women and LGBTI Organizations and 53 public institutions and municipalities have attended the congress held under the topic “Women’s Collective Power Against Male Violence: Our Solidarity and Struggle Areas”.
No Access to ŞÖNİMs
This year, once again the most important topic on the congress’ agenda was the inefficiency of Violence Prevention and Observing Centers (ŞÖNİM), which had been established for the purpose of eliminating the problems which occur by the implementation of Protection of Family and Eliminating Violence Against Women Act no. 6284, eliminating male violence against women and supporting and observing the implementation of all necessary measures effectively,
It has been stated that the ŞÖNİMs established in 2012 to provide women and children exposed to violence with shelter, psycho-social, legal, health, employment and education support, have been unable to provide all of these services due to their inadequate number and difficulty in access by women.
It has also been discussed that these insufficiencies of ŞÖNİMs have caused that polices stations turn out to be the only institution to which women exposed to violence can apply.
Confidentiality breaches
Among problems by the implementation of the Act, topics such as keeping address and identity informations confidential, struggle against insistent chasing and temporary custody have been discussed. It has been mentioned that many women and children had to face life security threats due to problems concerning confidentiality which occur by Civil Registry Offices, Ministry of National Education and Social Security Organization while keeping confidential records on-state state system.
It has also been reminded, that the acceptance criteria for shelters linked to Ministry for Family and Social Policies discriminate LGBTI persons and women with disabilities by which means violence against lesbian and bisexual women on the basis of their sexual orientation and identity has been made invisible.
Accessible centers for everybody
Besides demanding public officers who breach their duties within the scope of struggle against violence to be under investigation and respective sanctions to be imposed, also a request has been made to make Institutions (ŞÖNİMs, police stations, hospitals, Ministry of Family and Social Policies Directorates and solidarity centers) accessible to persons with disabilities, to implement a short message system on emergency hotlines for persons with hearing disabilities and to develop braille documents for persons with visual disabilities.
Refugee women are forced into prostitution and subjects of forced labour
In the final declaration mentioning refugee women’s exposure to harassment, rape, forced prostitution, forced labour, early marriage and human trafficking, it has been stated that the state should come up for meeting the basic needs against these crimes.
Informing on birth control and free access
It has been reminded that state hospitals do not perform abortion at will in defiance of the law and demanded informative actions for women and men about birth control methods, safe sexuality like public service ads which also should stress that birth control is not only the responsibility of women but of both men and women equally and requested to provide free access to birth control for women.
Emphasis has been made on the necessity to remove the ban on medications which are essential for medical abortion, are on the list of prerequisite medications of World Health Organization yet are banned in Turkey. (ÇT/DG)
