Pro-Islamist Vakit newspaper columnist Erarslan: Women are not fully represented in the Parliament. The deputy candidate lists include elite women instead of those who are active within the party. In Turkey, politics means money here, women dont have.

Seyman, Karakus, Boyali and Sancar, talks about womens roles in the political parties: We are very active, but we cant come forward. Some friends have very important positions. We cannot voice our opinions loud enough in the male-dominated parties.

Womens Handcraft Associations Center is aiming at generating solutions for beating and violence against women in general. The association is also working on organizing seminars on womens rights. Women shelter will be the next step.

Mehmet Uzun can write in Kurdish, Turkish and Swedish, but his novels are only in Kurdish. The publishing house, GendasYayinlari, has published the writers latest novel, The Prayer of Tigris, translated into Turkish by Muhsin Kizilkaya.

Concrete reasons for each and every case might vary but all such violence against women are justified by their male aggressors with honor.

Margot Badran writes from Turkey on the implications of the recent reform of the 1926 Civil Code on womens rights in marriage and divorce