News Center- The Center for Socio-Political Field Studies (Sosyo Politik Saha Araştırmaları Merkezi) and Wabi Sabi Health Research Center (Wabi Sabi Sağlık Araştırmaları Merkezi) held a virtual panel titled “Increasing sexism during the pandemic” about the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on women. During the panel moderated by Sociologist Halide Türkoğlu, feminist activist İlke Gökdemir made a speech titled, “The deepening of social roles during the pandemic” and Rosa Women’s Association Chair Adalet Kaya made a speech titled, “The effects of the pandemic on violence against women.” Feminist activist Semiha Arı gave information on women’s employment during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Women cannot access abortion in public hospitals”

Feminist activist İlke Gökdemir drew attention to the abortion access in Turkey and she said, “The organizations struggling for gender equality have been targeted. The existing system prevents women's freedom. When we look at the last 10 years of Turkey, we see that women haven’t been recognized as individuals but defined with their families, and while doing so, they say women are sacred and policies are systematically produced according to these. The AKP government does this stronger. We can see this in our political and daily life. Women took to the streets when they tried to ban abortion bıt now women cannot access abortion in public hospitals.”

“Women’s burden increases when children have to stay at home”

 “Women’s burden increases because children have to stay at home. Many women had to leave their jobs. Girls cannot join online learning. Particularly, girls having poor families have to do domestic works. Some of them cannot access education because they don’t have a computer at home. The state hasn’t taken a measure to prevent this,” İlke Gökdemir said, talking about the closure of schools during the pandemic.

Rosa Women’s Association Chair Adalet Kaya made a speech titled, “The effects of the pandemic on violence against women.” She drew attention to the increasing violence against women especially after the appointment of trustees (state-appointed mayors) to municipalities and racism. “We have received applications mostly from women facing economic violence. Domestic women workers become unemployment and their husbands also become unemployment during the pandemic and this cause the increase of domestic violence. Our network created to prevent violence against women becomes helpless due to the mounting number of applications. Because, the women’s shelters and counseling centers affiliated with the municipalities were closed down. The prosecutors have rejected the women’s applications. Women in Kurdistan have no trust for the system because they have faced violence,” Adalet Kaya said the condition in prisons for women was worse.

“Turkey is one of the countries having the lowest female employment rate”

Feminist activist Semiha Arı also made a speech during the virtual panel and she said, “Turkey is one of the countries having the lowest female employment rate. Most women have worked in unregistered sectors. They have no social security and they have received low wages. During the pandemic, we observe that domestic workers have suffered from a crisis. You can see this when you look at the policies of AKP for women’s labor.”