Ayşe Durukan

Ayşe Durukan

Family Burdens Distract Women from Unionism

DISK chairman Celebi announces that a youth union is to follow the founding new pensioners union. A union of women is unlikely he says. Women are already in every field. Yet they are not active at the unions executive levels, due to family burdens.

8 September 2006

Movie Industry Workers Stand-up for Rights

Movie actors and playwrites warn film and TV industry of possible walkouts if conditions of new Team Agreement are not met. Their union SINE-SEN proposes to end uninsured employment, improve working hours and protect women from harassment.

8 September 2006

Minister Calls for Womens Summit

Minister in Charge of Women Issues calls on public institutions, civil society and women organizations to attend September 8 Ankara meeting focusing on PMs new circular to prevent violence against women and honor killings.

Women Protest Stoning To Death of Iranian

Turkish women organizations support signature campaign for Iranian Melek Ghorbany who was sentenced last month to be publicly stoned to death and will gather at Iranian consulate in Istanbul this Saturday to read out press statement.

Minister Cubukcu Meets Women Organisation

35 Women activists finally get meeting with Minister Cubukcu I might have different opinions but I dont have different feelings She says.They will meet quarterly, doesnt refer to issues of virtue, virginity, surname, quota or property regime.

Domestic Violence Silences Womens Complaints

Women victims of domestic violence succumb to abuse for three reasons: Patriarchal relations, economic weakness and lack of education. Attorney Dayi: Protecting women from violence is a necessity of being a social state.

Keskin: The Campaign Is Manipulated

Strongly condemned by 20 women organizations in newspapers advertisements, IHD Istanbul branch former chair Keskin holds press conference. Says attack stems from single a source, those organizations acting under Kemalist identity.

Women Debate Equality Laws

Woman rights activists from Belgium, Iran, Morocco and Turkey meet for Equality between Women and Men seminar organized jointly by Amazone centre and Pazartesi magazine. Seminar hears Moroccos efforts to modernize Sharia laws, Iranian CSO efforts.

Withdraw Anti-Terror Draft, Stop Operations

Women from 11 organizations stage sitting protest against new Anti-Terror Bill in front of Istanbuls historic Galatasaray High School. Women say chauvinist and anti-Kurdish policies threaten them the most.

Human Trafficking Victims on Rise

IOM and Police Directorate record significant increase in human trafficking in Turkey. 583 women from other countries rescued from traffickers and returned home since 2004. 6 thousand plus caught and sent back due to prostitution.

Women Activists Acquitted in Insult Case

Ankara court acquits 4 women activists charged with insulting State Minister Nimet Cubukcu. Minister drops charges against defendants on day of hearing. Prosecutor says there was no intent, women used their democratic rights.

94 Women in 9th Flying Broom Film Festival

The 9th Flying Broom International Womens Film Festival is to be held from between May 4-12. A total of 94 films by 75 directors from 25 countries are to be shown during the festival. Iranian female director Tahmineh Milani to be a festival guest.

Silent Protest From Womens Organisations

Kirk Oruk Womens Cooperative, Feminists of Ankara and Womens Solidarity Foundation hold silent protest in front of Human Rights Monument saying the mentality that shoots the Kurdish people is making everyone expressionless. The concept of violence is d

Operation Barbie Criticised

IHD criticises media exposure after police roundup of 22 women models and singers as violation of rights while lawyer claims operation reflects typical hypocritical male solidarity as they keep secret the names of their alleged male names.

3 Women candidates among 51 for TRT

Of the 51 candidates who have applied for the General Director of Turkeys state-run TRT, three are female professionals Erdamar and Bayer have worked for 30 years at various levels in the TRT while Yucel is a chemist at the Ministry of Transport.

Eren Keskin to Serve in Prison

Human rights activist Keskin has been sentenced to prison for publicly insulting the army for her allegations about rape. Although the sentence is converted to a fine, Eren announced that instead of paying it she is planning to go to prison.

302 Letters to Guldunya

Kizmaz, who wrote: Dear Guldunya, women in this country dont receive letters, won the Calling out to Guldunya letter competition. Your name will not be in the official history Guldunya, wrote Ozbek, who became second.

Acquitted for Greeting in Kurdish

Handan Caglayan, who has been acquitted, argued that the ban on using a language other than Turkish for political parties not only limits freedom of expression and organization, but limits womens right to participate in the political process.

26 December 2005

Retrial for Kurdish Greeting

The Supreme Court of Appeals orders retrial for Handan Caglayan based on the new penal code. She had been sentenced to seven months in prison and fined 513 YTL for saying My Dear Sisters in Kurdish in a speech during the 2004 local election campaign.

14 December 2005

AI Letter Contest Commemorates Güldünya Tören

Guldunya Toren, who has become a symbol of honor killings, was murdered by brothers, following a family decision to kill her. She was raped and as a result, became pregnant outside of marriage. She was under police protection at a hospital when killed.

13 December 2005

Domestic Violence Starts with Forced Relation

62 percent of Turkish women are faced with domestic violence by their husbands according to a study by Antalya Womens Center for Consultation and Solidarity. The Center has categorized domestic violence under 53 topics, such as rape.

28 November 2005

Honor Killing Brings Life Sentence

The brothers of Güldünya Tören, who was murdered in an honor killing, have been found guilty of premeditated murder and of inciting the crime. One has been sentenced to life imprisonment and the other to a term of 11 years and 8 months.

17 October 2005

I Came as a Lady, Im Leaving as a Woman!

Reporters from 31 local media in Adiyaman, Ardahan, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Erzincan, Gaziantep, Hakkari, Igdir, Malatya, Mardin, Mus, Siirt, Sivas, Sanliurfa, Sirnak, Midyat, Nizip and Van discussed Womens Reporting.

13 October 2005

BİA² Womens Journalism Training in Ordu

From 24-25 September, journalists from Samsun, Kars, Trabzon, Artvin, Ordu, Rize, Giresun, Tokat, Amasya, Sinop, Kastamonu, Çorum, Zonguldak, Karabük and Bartın will attend the Womens Rights and Womens Journalism Training program organized by the BİA²

22 September 2005

The Law 4320 Campaign on Domestic Violence

Womens organizations will explain Law 4320, The Family Protection Law, to women who suffer domestic violence. The reason for the six-week-long campaign is that the law is not sufficiently well-understood by women and by those who administer the law.

19 September 2005

Women Preachers Educate Women

According to the Office of Religious Affairs, the survival of the family depends on women receiving religious education. The office appointed 196 women preachers to Turkish provinces under a project that was launched a year ago.

Housewives Catch AIDS From Their Husbands

People with the HIV virus can now live up to 20-30 years thanks to new medication, said Professor Doctor Simsek. People with this virus need constant medication. Otherwise, their standard of living can become very low.

War Means Rape and Death for Women

The Istanbul Network of World March for Women drew attention to the rise of an anti-Kurdish and militarist climate in Turkey. According to the women, operations are mostly hurting civilians, and especially women.

There Should be More Women in Media

RTUK head Fatih Karaca said women dont participate in decision-making mechanisms in the media sector. He added that todays womens programs would be eliminated if there were more women in senior positions in the media.

Only one out of Four Women has a Job

Minister Cubukcu said womens transition from being unpaid laborers to paid laborers was a positive development. However, she added that low status and wages and lack of social security minimize womens contribution to the family budget.

Wrongful Provocation for Honor Crimes

The law, which offers a reduced punishment for honor , was replaced by an article on wrongful provocation. Women are expecting prosecutors and judges to take international agreements into account.

Media Just Exhibits Honor Crimes

According to a research by the UNFPA media is acting irresponsibly in its coverage of honor crimes and only paying attention to ratings. KA-MER said that 84 percent of the women who have the Emergency Help Line is economically dependant.