ELİF AKGÜL

Istanbul- The members of the TPC 103 Platform (Turkish Penal Code 103 Platform) against amnesty for child sexual abusers, also known as the “marry your rapist bill” discussed in Turkey in April 2020 prevented the bill from being passed by the parliament. Immediately after, the discussions about Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention began, and the members decided to keep struggling under a more inclusive name. They formed the Women's Platform for Equality (Eşitlik için Kadın Platformu-EŞİK), an independent platform of more than 310 women’s and LGBTI+ organizations, on August 1, 2020, to keep struggling. Since then, EŞİK has carried out many local, national, and international activities on many issues such as child abuse, the Istanbul Convention, and violence against women.

We spoke to Özgül Kapdan, a member of the EŞİK, about women’s agenda and activities in Turkey. Recalling that even though male violence is one of the most important agenda topics of society, “femicide and suspicious deaths of women” have been on the agenda of women for 10-15 years, Özgül Kapdan says, “Saying that the rate of femicide is higher in Europe than in Turkey, as if saying that the inflation rate is high in Europe is something strange.”

“Oversimplifying the prevention of gender-based violence to punishment overshadows the main cause of violence,” Özgül Kapdan said, “The main cause for gender-based violence is inequality, woman killing is political, and unless equality is achieved through holistic social policies, gender-based violence and femicide will continue.”

“So-called 'new measures' that will be obviously useless”

In 2021, male violence, particularly suspicious deaths of women, was one of the top agenda topics in Turkey. Why was this topic at the top of the agenda? Do you think the measures taken by the government are sufficient to prevent problems faced by women?

Femicide, gender-based violence, and suspicious deaths of women disguised as suicide have been on the agenda for 10-15 years. But what is important is that these are on whose agenda and whether their causes and results are questioned or not. For instance, the government puts these issues on its agenda only on March 8 and claims that they have taken new measures to prevent them. This year, the government did the same thing.

It is impossible to understand or make sense of the violent language against women's organizations in a speech about preventing violence. Surely, we understand why they use such language because they knew that we would say that so-called new measures were not new and the public would believe in what we said. So they tried to underestimate and smear us. Some studies suggest that 85% of the population trusts independent women's organizations.

We have faced such smear campaigns before but what makes us sad is that there were women, with whom we had waged the struggle against gender-based violence, among those who supported the last smear campaign against us.

Saying that the rate of femicide is higher in Europe than in Turkey, as if saying that “the inflation rate is high in Europe” is something strange. Comparing deaths is very hurtful.

“The main cause for violence is gender inequality”

 Oversimplifying the prevention of gender-based violence to punishment overshadows the main cause of violence. We find it extremely objectionable because it individualizes gender-based crimes. The main cause for gender-based violence is gender inequality, woman killing is political, and unless equality is achieved through holistic social policies, gender-based violence and femicide will continue.

“Oppression brings resistance”

The women and LGBTI+ movements are getting stronger. What motivates them?

Oppression brings resistance. As oppression increases, our number increases, the number of our supra-political alliances also increases. The formation of the EŞİK shows this. If there weren’t women, who never forget 129 women, who died in a fire (Triangle Shirtwaist Factory) started in the factory because the doors to the stairwells and exits were locked for demanding better working conditions on March 8, 1857, the struggle of women garment workers would be forgotten. If the Petrograd's workers hadn’t staged a strike on March 8, 1917, if the women in Europe hadn’t taken to the streets to demand their rights to vote and equal pay for equal work on March 8, women would not have a day to demand their rights, equality, and freedom.

“The demand of women is peace at home, in the country and in the world”

What did women demand on March 8, 2022?

They demanded peace. The demand of women is peace at home, in the country, and in the world. A country is the home of every living thing in it. The world is also the home of every living thing in it. Women demand equal representation, a life without violence, and freedom.