We will shatter glass ceilings, say journalist women

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Today is November 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. On this occasion, women from the Press Union (Basın-İş) of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) have marked this day by releasing a written statement. 

"We will shatter glass ceilings, we will not give up," the statement of the journalist women has read and added, "We will stand up against all types of violence limiting our living space, from mansplaining to mobbing, from unequal pay to harassment, from being confined to houses to being called the 'wives', 'sisters', 'daughters' of men."

'We are a part of the feminist struggle as well'

Some highlights from the statement are as follows:

"In all parts of the world, men from every profession, from every age and creed inflict violence of every stripe on women.

"Women do not bow down to men, who are also the subjects of the patriarchal system. They have forced the ones who banned abortion in Poland to step back. They have exposed the ones who opened the İstanbul Convention to debate in Turkey.

"In order to lay claim to their lives and gains, women are struggling on the streets, at squares, in schools, factories, workplaces, newspaper offices.

'We will transform the media'

"We, as the women of the DİSK Press Union, are a part of this feminist struggle. We are aware that this movement is the most unyielding movement of Turkey. By the power vested in us by women, we are determined to transform both the male-dominant system and male media.

"We will shatter glass ceilings, we will not give up. We will stand up against all types of violence limiting our living space, from mansplaining to mobbing, from unequal pay to harassment, from being confined to houses to being called the 'wives', 'sisters', 'daughters' of men.

"In the face of all types of male violence, transphobia and homophobia, we will exist with our egalitarian struggle. We will keep saying, 'Get used to it, we are not going anywhere' and we will solidarize with our LGBTI+ colleagues who have conceived this expression.

'We will never give up'

"We promise all women who were killed by men, we promise every single woman who has been waging a feminist struggle in newspaper offices, printing houses, factories, schools and every area where they exist, we promise every single woman who has brought women's movement from the past to the present and we promise the women journalists who are kept behind bars without having committed any crimes: We will give up on neither our rights nor our struggle.

"We have a word to say to the men who praise male system every day and content themselves with condemning male violence: There is no return from our feminist struggle! We will keep on standing shoulder to shoulder, side by side and word for word in the face of patriarchy!" (EMK/SD)