Women ask political parties: Will you enact a law on equal representation?

* Image: Women's Coalition

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The Women's Coalition platform has addressed an open letter to political parties in Turkey and said, "There is a need for a new social contract which will recognize us as equal and free with all of our diversities and define all laws and institutions in an egalitarian manner."

The letter of the platform has stressed that women worked for all legal regulations, conventions and mechanisms related to gender equality.

The Women's Coalition has said, "We will not stop struggling against the interventions that will wreck the gains of women and take them backwards." Recalling that the İstanbul Convention, which was "the life assurance of women", has been abolished in Turkey, the women have said:

"While the entire country is getting poorer, we get poorer faster than men and we are declared terrorists because we defend our rights."

They have added, "We want to create a common life where stones, soil, air, water and living beings are protected, freedom of expression is guaranteed, we are granted our right to education in the mother language, justice is accessible to everyone and the detection and resolution problems are undertaken with the participation of localities and local people."

The women's letter has further stressed: "A life which is equal, open to our active participation and inspection, secular, liberal and democratic must be built starting from today. We will not give up on a single one of these principles; we will not let them be a bargaining chip in politics."

'We ask the political parties...'

Accordingly, the Women's Coalition platform has asked the political parties in Turkey the following questions:

"A new Constitution is a must. Will you amend all laws, primarily the Constitution as well as the Law on Political Parties, the Electoral Law and all other related laws, in an egalitarian manner?

"Arrangements must be made to ensure gender equality in all bodies and processes of political parties from the delegation to candidate lists, from local organizations to the central execution. Will you make these arrangements? Will you ensure that the current resources and shares received by the political parties are used in such a way to ensure equality?

"No law can be democratic in anti-democratic conditions. Will you ensure that the Constitution and all laws are written under such conditions that we can have a say in a liberal, pluralistic and democratic way?

"We don't recognize any decision or law you make without our participation. Will you guarantee that all law-making and institutional structuring/establishment processes are undertaken together with women's organizations and civil society organizations?

"Will you enact the law on equal representation, equal participation/parity?

"The ministry of gender equality/women must be established immediately. Will you swiftly and immediately establish the institutional mechanisms that will ensure that gender equality is put into practice?

"We must immediately be a party to the İstanbul Convention. Will you be a party to the international conventions that guarantee women's rights and gender equality and implement them effectively?

"Women know better than you how to make a budget. Will you make the budget together with women so that women's poverty, which aggravates equality and discrimination even further, can be remedied?" (RT/SD)