Attending the women’s gathering held in Defne district of Hatay, Co-Mayor of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, Serra Bucak, drew attention to 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and underlined that the struggle against violence must be strengthened.
As part of the 25 November International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Women’s Assembly of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) organised a “Women’s Gathering” event for earthquake-affected women living in container cities and tents in the Defne district of Hatay. The meeting, held at the coordination centre of the Confederation of Public Employees’ Trade Unions (KESK), was attended by Serra Bucak, Co-Mayor of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, Halide Türkoğlu, Spokesperson of the DEM Party Women’s Assembly, and women from the community.
Speaking at the gathering, Co-Mayor Bucak greeted the women and reminded them that two years had passed since the earthquakes of 6 February 2023. Despite all the difficulties, Bucak expressed that they would build a new life, stating, "When migrations, wars and destruction occur, women are most affected by them; women's needs are most ignored, women's demands are most ignored. Because, unfortunately, there is a male-dominated mindset in the establishment of states, in the construction of nation states. Similarly, women have been excluded from the sphere of local government, where they would most likely establish connections and exert influence. We are women fighting for our existence in the sphere of local government. These problems, which have become even more acute after experiencing earthquakes and similar disasters, have come to the fore. Unfortunately, we are in a region where our problems have become even more diverse."
‘There has been migration to Diyarbakır’
Co-Chair Bucak stated that migration to Diyarbakır had begun from Hatay, Adıyaman and Malatya following the earthquake, adding that they still occasionally meet with women and families living in container cities.
‘We live in unsafe cities’
Drawing attention to the role of local administrations in making cities safe, Bucak said, “We live in an unsafe geography. The role, mission and duty of local administrations become clear here. What can we do to make our cities safe? When we talk about safety, we are talking about shelter. People need to be able to participate in education, health, production and the development of the city, and at the same time live in a safe environment. We are increasingly discussing how the streets are not safe for women."
Highlighting the importance of women's employment, combating violence, education, and awareness-raising efforts, Co-Mayor Bucak stated that, unfortunately, they live in extremely unsafe cities, from Istanbul to Diyarbakır, from village of Tavşantepe (Bağlar) to Van.
‘There are many different faces of violence’
Noting that he actually wanted to talk about positive things today, Bucak said, "We have the 25 November Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women ahead of us. We are in a month where we condemn violence against women, defend all kinds of struggle against violence against women, discuss the various mechanisms of the struggle against violence against women, and we will hold various events. We will discuss the issue of violence. We must fight violence; we must discuss violence on every platform. We must also discuss violence perpetrated by the male-dominated state system, which is reflected in violence within families. We, Turkish women, Turkish, Kurdish, Laz, and Circassian women, can come together. We can discuss women's issues. We can discuss our fight against violence against women, but we really need to expand this fight, we need to come together in a more organised way. Because violence does not stop, it continues to escalate. There are many different forms of this violence. We are subjected to mobbing in the workplace, in public institutions, even in the areas we are elected to, I am saying this very clearly."
‘We will work to strengthen solidarity’
Co-Mayor Bucak, who later attended a women’s meeting in the district of İskenderun, drew attention to the problems faced by earthquake victims. Emphasising that it is incumbent upon local administrations to increase diplomacy, cooperation and solidarity, Co-Mayor Bucak stated, “It appears that the state will not heal these wounds. We promise that we will implement social policies, particularly in the areas of women and health, that will benefit the people affected by the earthquake, by working together in solidarity with each other, from Diyarbakır to Defne, İskenderun, and other provinces. Today, we came to Samandağ with a refuse collection truck promised by the Metropolitan Municipality. When we return, we will work to further strengthen solidarity with other municipalities and the Southeast Anatolia Region Municipalities Union (GABB) to heal our wounds together. We want to see you in Amed. We want to make another meeting possible there," he said.
