Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality will create an accessible and safe space for all residents, especially women, at a new social facility to be opened in Kardeşlik Park in Bağcılar Neighbourhood, Bağlar. The facility will be run by women.

Following Fiskaya Social Facility in Yenişehir district, Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality is preparing to open its second social facility in Kardeşlik Park, located in Bağcılar Neighbourhood in Bağlar district. The facility will offer a safe and accessible space for all residents of the city, with women being the primary focus.

Mervan Yıldız, Deputy Chair of the Board of Med Urban and Social Services Industry and Trade Inc., the municipal subsidiary that will operate the facility, said their main aim was to rebuild public spaces on an egalitarian basis.

Social facility planned to serve 500 people a day

Yıldız said they aimed to increase the number of facilities in line with Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality’s social policies. He noted that social spaces had for years been narrowed to the disadvantage of women, and that they therefore aimed to transform these spaces in favour of women.

Stating that they would continue their work by placing women, young people and other groups who cannot access services at the centre, Yıldız added that when they first opened Fiskaya Social Facility, they had doubts about whether it would attract interest, but it received serious demand.

Yıldız said Fiskaya Social Facility welcomes nearly 6,000 people a day, adding: “For this reason, we felt the need to open a second social facility. We came up with the idea of opening the second facility in particular in partnership with DBB’s Department of Women’s Policies. Our aim here is to entrust the entire operation to women and, at the same time, to serve 500 people a day.”

“It will be a safer environment”

Yıldız said a more secure and peaceful environment would be created by having the social facility run by women, adding that a women-run social facility could be a first in Amed, and even in Türkiye. He stated that they would implement a policy that would expand as production increased, and that if product diversity and demand grew, they could expand the space further and change the concept.

The facility’s pricing policy

Yıldız said the facility would follow a pricing policy similar to that of Fiskaya Social Facility, adding: “If a drink costs 40 or 50 lira outside, it will be much lower here. In other words, a much more affordable pricing policy will be applied compared with outside prices.”

“Women will lead this community-oriented work”

Yıldız said the number of safe spaces and venues for women was limited, noting that the social facility would not only serve as a place for socialising but also offer women a safe space. Yıldız said: “Women are being pushed back in almost every sphere. Many families hesitate to go to many places with their children. Therefore, our first goal is to increase the number of such spaces and offer women a safe and peaceful environment. Our aim is entirely community-oriented. Women will be the pioneers of this community-oriented work.”

To open in July

Yıldız said preparations had begun and that, barring any major setbacks, the venue would open around the end of June or mid-July. He continued: “This is a municipal space. We went through a process at Fiskaya to help strengthen people’s sense of belonging and create spaces where they feel at home. People feel as comfortable as if they were coming to their own home. Here, too, we will create a social space shaped by women’s colour and perspective, and we welcome all residents.”