‘How will this Parliamentary commission investigate male violence?’

* Photo: csgorselars/Meltem Ulusoy

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The Women's Platform for Equality (EŞİK) released a statement about the Parliamentary Commission Investigating Violence today (April 22).

CLICK - bianet is Monitoring Male Violence

Established on March 9 and aimed at "investigating violence against women in all aspects and determining necessary measures", the Commission convened on April 21 at 1.30 p.m. and did task sharing.

In a statement prior to the meeting of the Commission, the EŞİK underlined that the task sharing must be based on knowledge and experience and in line with the principles of meritocracy. However, the duties have been shared based on the number of seats held by the political parties at the Parliament, as it has always been the case in similar processes.

'The ruling bloc has elected itself'

In response to this, the platform has released another statement. "The opposition parties did not nominate candidates or take part in the election," the EŞİK has noted in its statement, adding that "in this way, the ruling bloc held its own election and elected itself."

Referring to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the platform has said:

"AKP Malatya MP Öznur Çalık has been elected as the Chair of the Commission; as for the Deputy Chair of the Commission, AKP Antalya MP Tuğba Vurol Çokal has been elected to this position.

"AKP Sakarya MP Çiğdem Erdoğan Atabek has been elected as the Commission's Spokesperson and MHP Konya MP Esin Kara has been elected as the secretary member of the Commission.

"The results of this election, which functioned in a manner far from being participatory or democratic, have once again shown us that the Parliamentary Investigation Commission cannot produce any knowledge or policies apart from the narratives of the ruling bloc."

In its press statement on April 20, 2021, the EŞİK platform called on the members of the Commission from the AKP and MHP to end the attempts of withdrawing from the İstanbul Convention and to take action to ensure that the Law no. 6284 on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women is enforced effectively.

Commission members by parties are as follows:

AKP - 10 MPs: Mehmet Şükrü Erdinç-Adana, Tuba Vural Çokal-Antalya,Pakize Mutlu Aydemir-Balıkesir, Nilgün Ök-Denizli, Mahmut Atilla Kaya-İzmir,Habibe Öçal-Kahramanmaraş,Hacı Ahmet Özdemi- Konya, Öznur Çalık-Malatya, Yelda Erol Gökcan-Muğla, Çiğdem Erdoğan Atabek-Sakarya

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) - 4 MPs: Gamze Taşcıer- Ankara,Aysu Bankoğlu-Bartın,Suzan Şahin-Hatay, Neslihan Hancıoğlu-Samsun

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) - 2 MPs: Filiz Kerestecioğlu Demir-Ankara, Semra Güzel-Diyarbakır

MHP - 2 MPs: Hayati Arkaz-İstanbul, Esin Kara-Konya

İYİ Party - 1 MP: Şenol Sunat-Ankara

(EMK/SD)