Mihriban Çelik, a member of the Urfa Bar Association’s Women's Rights Center, draws attention to the rights violations suffered by refugee women and she said, “The means for refugee women to receive interpreter and legal support should be increased and the existing mechanisms should also be made functional in order to punish those who attack refugee women.”

Riha - Urfa Provincial Women's Platform held a press conference at the building of Education and Science Workers' Union (Eğitim Sen) Urfa Branch. Female members of the unions affiliated to the Confederation of Public Employees' Trade Unions (KESK), Association for the Freedom of Lawyers (ÖHD), Human Rights Association (IHD), Urfa Bar Association, Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Republican People's Party (CHP) and Yaşamevi Association have attended the conference. The Urfa Bar Association’s Women's Rights Center member Mihriban Çelik spoke on behalf of the platform at the press conference. Individuals, society, NGOs, and state organs have responsibilities in order to eliminate the different forms of psychological, economic, physical, and sexual violence against refugee women, said Mihriban Çelik.

“Women make applications for seeking divorce”

In her speech, Mihriban Çelik reported that on March 15, a woman's body was found on the Urfa-Akçakale highway, later identified as Fetum Alhamadi from Syria. Stating that sexual assault is used as a "weapon" against women, Mihriban Çelik said that the rate of women receiving legal support is very low, and that as of 2021, approximately 50 women have made application to the Urfa Bar Association’s Women's Rights Center and some associations being active in the field of refugees in Urfa province for seeking a divorce. “After interviews, women stated that they were forced to be the second wife, subjected to domestic violence, and that they were forced into prostitution,” said Çelik.

“Legal support should be provided”

Syrian women told they were labeled as thieves by everyone, and forced into prostitution by family members and the people around them, Mihriban Çelik said, “We shouldn’t stay silent for the problems faced by women, particularly refugee women. The means for refugee women to receive interpreter and legal support should be increased and the existing mechanisms should also be made functional in order to punish those who attack refugee women.”