What's Being Done On . . . Human Rights and Democracy in Turkey ?

Introduction List of Turkish NGOs Working on Human Rights and Democracy Links to Online Publications ARI MOVEMENT FLYING BROOM TUMIKOM Fourth Assembly Web Site: "Advancing Democracy: Justice, Pluralism, and Participation," Istanbul, Turkey, April 2-5,2006 World Movement Participants Database - Search for more information about groups using advocacy to achieve democratic reform.

FLYING BROOM (Uçan Süpürge)

Flying Broom is a national women's organization based in the Turkish capital city of Ankara that seeks to strengthen the Turkish women’s movement through communication, collaboration, and alliance-building. It was created in 1996 and helps establish women’s NGOs by acting as a liaison and contributor to communications among women’s organizations in Turkey and abroad. Flying Broom also creates and increases awareness of women’s issues, and organizes campaigns related to the empowerment of women and in support of women’s organizations with similar aims.

Flying Broom is supported by a large circle of volunteers from women’s NGOs, the media, universities, individual activists, etc. By promoting women's empowerment, it contributes to the greater process of democratization and development of civil society in Turkey, in accordance with international gender equality norms and principles formulated at Beijing (1995) and other international conferences and summits.

For more information, please go to: http://en.ucansupurge.org.

Interview

We would like to thank Halime Guner, General Coordinator of Flying Broom, for answering the following interview questions.

1. What inspired Flying Broom to become established? What is the brief history of the organization?

The emergence of the women’s movement in Turkey during the 1980s created a need to become organized through the creation of organizations specifically established for women. Numerous NGOs were thus created but a lack of communication and solidarity grew as well. This led to the formation of Flying Broom to facilitate networking among women NGOs, make people more aware of and sensitive to women’s issues, and to contribute to democracy and the development of civil society more generally. We have done much to meet these purposes, and we are campaigning and conducting projects for women in 81 cities.

2. How do your networking efforts contribute to women’s empowerment within Turkey?

“Communication carries joint action within itself.” This is Flying Broom’s main slogan. We believe that this is essential to our work because it embodies the essence of our projects. We have seen what interaction brings and how it creates effective results in every project of networking associations of women. Our projects demonstrate how our slogan is put into effect. For example:

• We recently organized an information campaign for women in 81 cities about the positive changes that were made in the new Turkish penal code. The code has been in effect since June 1, 2005. Through this campaign, we were able to create a platform of networking women NGOs.
• The “Path to Roads” project brought together women NGOs, local administrators, and reporters from seven different provinces. This project helped women to learn how to develop projects by using local resources and enabled them to create their own.
• “Building Bridges” is one of our continuing projects. For two years now, in all 81 cities, we visited each city individually and met with local women. These meetings have been organized by the municipalities with the objective of examining gender equality policies. Once this project is complete, we plan to make a documentary film based upon it.
• “Local Women Reporters Network” has 12 women reporters who submit news they collect from their regions each week. We are currently trying to expand this to establish a women’s news agency.
• “Database for Women’s Organizations in Turkey” is a comprehensive database that has led to the publication of a book and CD. These contain the vision, mission, contact information and operations of women’s organizations in 37 cities.
• For the first time in Turkey, the roles of men have been questioned; and. we organized a panel along with an exhibition entitled, “Dear Child: Fathers, Children, and Gender Equality in Sweden ”, by Swedish photographer Ulla Lemberg. The panel discussion featured fathers speaking about their relationship with their children and equality issues in their homes.
• Flying News is a bulletin that we publish both in Turkish and English. We have also prepared radio programs that have aired on National TRT radio in 2004-2005.

Future endeavors include television and radio broadcasting, and publishing books. We also give lectures and seminars on how to lobby, and we are currently working on projects to advance dialogue and cooperation between government institutions and civil society.

3. What about your work with other NGOs that deal with human rights, youth groups and think tanks?

Flying Broom always seeks collaboration with other civil society initiatives. However, we are not at the level of cooperation that we would like, and we are taking steps to address this. For instance, on the day that the new Turkish penal code was put into effect, we came together with other human rights and women’s rights organizations to inform women about the new policies in favor of women in the code. There are many different NGOs that are forming, but not many of them have achieved solidarity.

4. The new Turkish Penal Code has been in effect since June 2001. Can you explain its importance with respect to women’s issues? How effective have the legislative and policy reforms been towards the advancement of women’s rights?

Women’s organizations have really strived for change through the Penal Code. The resulting benefits are revolutionary for Turkey. What is new is that the new code protects the rights of women and actually views them as “individuals.” There are now stipulated punishments for actions like honor killings and virginity control. However, changes in legislation are not sufficient. One must ask, “To what extent are these laws being implemented?” There needs to be a change in consciousness for these new rules to be implemented. For example, police officers shouldn't’t just be able to say to a woman in a violent relationship, “these kinds of things happen all the time in families and you will reconcile soon.” Legislative changes have no meaning without a change in approaches or the mindset of police and judicial officers.

5. One controversial issue in Turkey is the ban on women’s headscarves. How do you think this issue can be resolved? Do you think, however, the ban on headscarves undermines democracy in Turkey?

 In Turkey, a ‘turban’ is viewed as a political and religious symbol. At the same time, headscarves are part of Anatolian culture. There is a difference between the traditional and the political/religious ones. Today, some Muslim women are calling their ‘turbans’ ‘headscarves’ in order to reduce the tension. They see this as a compromise. In our view, the rights of women who are not allowed to go to universities or work because of their headscarves are violated. In my personal view, democracy is undermined when demands for respect for human rights are not being satisfied.

6. How does the general public in Turkey view women’s issues? Do you see support from the public and do they get engaged in the promotion of women’s rights?

 Compared to previous years, we have observed a strong increase in public sensitivity towards women’s issues. Articles expressing doubt about discrimination against women may now be found on the front pages of newspapers. Some papers are campaigning for the education of young girls and against extreme violence against women. But the influence and pressure of women’s NGOs has really played an important role in the current effort to promote women’s rights. Although there are people working to improve the status of women in society, there are still people who consider women as second class. We want every sector of society to be more sensitive to and conscious of gender equality. During our project, “building bridges”, we realized that no matter what the age, educational background, or social condition of women, they really want to get involved in this fight for women’s rights and want to contribute to the work of NGOs.

7. Regarding EU integration, what do you see emerging in Turkish politics in ten years? Will women in Turkey have more political and social rights?

Since Turkey began discussions on integration with the EU, there have been many steps in a positive direction, such as changes in legislation and social recovery. Women now have a platform to voice their ideas and opinions; however, the government needs more sincere and consistent polices. Women need to be able to take part in decision making in politics, the economy, and the media. Right now, women are more like tenants, whereas men are more like the landowners, in Parliament. But women are definitely going to have more political and social rights in the future.