19 November 2015

Violence in the Middle East and Turkey escalates with each passing day. While the world’s eyes turn to the tragic attacks in Paris, what we are experiencing at present in our country is much more extreme than the past, and we are deeply worried about what tomorrow will bring. It seems like our very future, our fundamental human rights, and the most basic right to life are under threat. For the past 40 years, Turkey has been in a state of war that has deeply affected our society, especially women and girl-children in eastern Turkey, and it has become impossible to prevent severe rights violations. Since Turkey’s June 7th 2015 general elections, in a context of escalating violence and military operations, which have continued after the recent November1stsnap elections, the Human Rights Association reports that: 262 civilian lives have been lost (602 lives in total, including soldiers, police and Kurdish militants); 759 people have been wounded; 5,713 have been detained; and 1,004 people arrested.[1]

In these conflicts in the Kurdish region, concentrated mostly in the provinces of Diyarbakır, Hakkari and Şırnak, in the towns of Cizre, Silvan, Nusaybin, Silopi and many others, some settlements have endured blockades and 24-hour curfews of over 10 days, threatening the lives of civilians, especially women, girl-children, and LGBTI people. While the people of these regions cannot even obtain the most basic necessities for life, like water, food, and electricity, thousands of them are being forced to leave their homes. Additionally, they cannot access health services: it has been reported that between August and October 2015, 300 women in the towns of Hakkari province (Şemdinli and Yüksekova) who could not leave their homes have had miscarriages or are in danger of suffering miscarriages due to the extreme stress and trauma they are undergoing.[2]

As Turkey’s women’s and LGBTI movements,we have repeatedly raised our voices to call for peace.  However, at this moment, it is critically urgent that international solidarity networks be established with the women living in these conflict zones. To do this together with your support, thesignatories to this statement (listed below) appeal to you:

  • To send the below letter to the President of the Turkish Republic (@RT_Erdogan) and the PM(‏@Ahmet_Davutoglu)to share our urgent demand
    • Sample tweet: Women and LGBTIs in Turkey insist on #PeaceNow! @RT_Erdogan‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ @Ahmet_Davutoglu http://bit.ly/1l7A4RF
    • You can follow WWHR here: @kadinih
  • To send your signature, including the name of your organisation with the signature of a person in charge (if any), to add your voice to this urgent call for action to the e-mail address newways@wwhr.org by 24th

THE SIGNATORY ORGANISATIONS FROM TURKEY

  1. Adana Women’s Shelter and Association for Solidarity/Consultation – Adana Kadın Dayanışma Merkezi ve Sığınma Evi Derneği
  2. Adıyaman Association of Women and Life -Adıyaman Kadın Yaşam Derneği
  3. Altı Nokta Kibele Wmen’s Magazine – Altı Nokta Kibele Kadın Dergisi /
  4. Amargi İzmir/ AmargiIzmir
  5. AmidaWomen’sConsultation Center/ Amida Kadın Danışma Merkezi
  6. Ankara Feminist Collective – Ankara Feminist Kolektif
  7. Antalya Women’s Consultation Center and Solidarity Association – Antalya Kadın Danışma Merkezi ve Dayanışma Derneği
  8. Ayvalık Independent Women’s Initiative – Ayvalık Bağımsız Kadın İnisiyatifi
  9. Women’s Peace Initiative – Barış İçin Kadın Girişimi (BIKG)
  10. Batman Women’sSolidarityAssociation – Batman Kadın Dayanışma Derneği
  11. BucaEvka -1 Women, Culture and Solidarity Association – Buca Evka-1 KadınKültürveDayanışma (BEKEV)
  12. ÇiğliEvka -2 Women Culture Association – Çiğli Evka-2 KadınKültürDerneği (ÇEKEV)
  13. Ceren WomenAssociation – Ceren Kadın Derneği
  14. Association to Combat Sexual Violence – Cinsel Şiddetle Mücadele Derneği
  15. Association for Gender Equality Watch – Cinsiyet Eşitliği İzleme Derneği (CEID)
  16. Diyarbakır MetropolitanMunicipalityDepartment of Women’sPolitics – Diyarbakır Büyükşehir Belediyesi Kadın Politikaları Daire Başkanlığı
  17. Diyarbakır MetropolitanMunicipalityDepartment of Combat withViolenceAgainstWomen – Diyarbakır Büyükşehir Belediyesi Kadına Yönelik Şiddetle Mücadele Şube Müdürlüğü
  18. Ergani Selis Solidarity Foundation – Ergani Selis Dayanışma Derneği
  19. Women from Workers Movement Party – EmekçiHareketPartiliKadınlar
  20. Erktolia – Erktolia
  21. ErzincanKatre Women’s Group – Erzincan Katre Kadın Oluşumu
  22. EsenderWomen Center / Ekin WanConsultation Center – Esendere Kadın Merkezi / Ekin Wan Danışma Merkezi
  23. Fethiye Free Women and Life Association – Fethiye Özgür Kadın ve Yaşam Derneği
  24. Filmmor Women’s Cooperative – FilmmorKadınKooperatifi
  25. RainbowWomenAssociation – Gökkuşağı Kadın Derneği
  26. Hebun LGBT Diyarbakır – Hebun LGBT Diyarbakır
  27. İstanbul LGBTT Solidarity Foundation -İstanbul LGBTT Dayanışma Derneği
  28. Human Rights Association (İHD) Ankara Branch Women’s Committee – İnsanHaklarıDerneği Ankara ŞubeKadınKomisyonu
  29. İmece House Workers’ Union – İmece Kadın Dayanışma Derneği
  30. Izmir Independent Women’s Initiative – İzmir Bağımsız Kadın İnisiyatifi
  31. Izmir Women’s Solidarity Association – İzmir Kadın Dayanışma Derneği
  32. Women’s Solidarity Foundation – Kadın Dayanışma Vakfı
  33. Women’s Education and Labor Association – Kadın Eğitim ve İstihdam Derneği (KEID)
  34. Women’s Labor and Employment Initiative Platform – KadınEmeğiveİstihdamıGirişimi (KEİG) Platformu
  35. Feminist Researchers Studying Women’s Labor – KadınEmeğiÇalışan Feminist Araştırmacılar (KEFA)
  36. Women’s Labor Collective – Kadın Emeği Kolektifi
  37. WomenforWomen’s Human Rights – WWHR New Ways-Kadının İnsan Hakları-Yeni Çözümler Derneği (KIH-YÇ)
  38. Women’s Solidarity Foundation – Kadınlarla Dayanışma Vakfı (KADAV)
  39. Women’s Free Assembly – Kadın Özgürlük Meclisi (KÖM)
  40. Women Writers Association – KadınYazarlarDerneği
  41. Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association – KaosGeyveLezbiyenKültürelAraştırmalarveDayanışmaDerneği (KAOS GL)
  42. Kapadokya Women’s Solidarity Association – KapadokyaKadınDayanışmaDerneği
  43. Karya Women’s Counseling and Solidarity Association – Karya Kadın Danışma Merkezi ve Dayanışma Merkezi
  44. Confederation of Public Workers Union Women’s Assembly – KESK Kadın Meclisi
  45. Konak City Council Women’s Assembly – Konak Kent Konseyi Kadın meclisi
  46. FreeWomen’sCongress – Kongre ya Jinên Azad (KJA- Özgür Kadınlar Kongresi)
  47. Lambdaİstanbul LGBTI Solidarity Association – Lambdaistanbul LGBTİ DayanışmaDerneği
  48. Mardin MetropolitanMunicipalityDirectorate of Women’sPolicies – Mardin Büyükşehir Belediyesi Kadın Politikaları Başkanlığı
  49. Mardin Derik PeljinWomen’s Center – Mardin Derik Peljin Kadın Merkezi
  50. Muğla Women’s “It’s My Labor” Association – Muğla Emek Benim Kadın Derneği
  51. MuğlaMenteşe Women’s Assembly – MuğlaMenteşeKadınMeclisi
  52. Muş WomenAssociation – Muş Kadın Derneği
  53. Muş Women’s Roof- Muş Kadın Çatısı Derneği
  54. Pink Life LGBTT Solidarity Association – Pembe Hayat LGBTT Dayanışma Derneği
  55. Şırnak Municipality Zahide WomenConsultation Center – Şırnak Belediyesi Zahide Kadın Danışma Merkezi
  56. Sosyalist Yeniden Kuruluş Partisi Kadın Meclisleri – Women’sAssemblies of Socialist Re-CreationParty
  57. Sosyalist Kadın Meclisleri – SocialistWomen’sAssemblies
  58. Psychologists Association for§ Social Solidarity Women’s Committee – Toplumsal Dayanışma İçin Psikologlar Kadın Komisyonu(TODAP)
  59. Flying Broom Women’s Communication and Research Association – UçanSüpürgeKadınİletişimveAraştırmaDerneği
  60. Life Cooperative for Women, Environment, Culture, and Management/Operation – Yaşam Kadın Çevre Kültür ve İşletme Kooperatifi (Yaka-Koop)
  61. Green Left Women – Yeşil Sol Kadınlar
  62. Yoğurtçu Women’s Forum – YoğurtçuKadınForumu
  63. Women From the Federation of 78’s- 78’liler Federasyonu’ndan Kadınlar

 

THE LETTER TO SEND TO TURKISH GOVERNMENT

Honourable PresidentRecepTayyipErdoğan

Honourable Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu

The conflict in the eastern and south-eastern regions of Turkey has been causing civilians to lose their lives, be wounded, and has threatened their basic survival; women, girl-children and LGBTI are particularly affected. We are well aware from our own experience that this kind of escalating violence can greatly threaten women’s lives. This extremely worrying situation prompts us to act, as organisations working toward empowerment of women and LGBTI all over the world.

We remind you of Turkey’s international obligations under SR 1325, UN GA Res 65/283 (2011) co-sponsored by Turkey and Finland, and the most recent resolution adopted in Oct. 2015, Res. 2242, which call for the peaceful resolution of disputes, and for inclusivity and women’s participation specifically in peacemaking.

With this letter, we appeal to you to stop all attacks directed toward civilians in the country, we call on you return to ceasefire conditions and resume the dialogue and negotiation process that was initiated during the previous administration in 2013.

Respectfully,

Name of the Organisation

Person in charge (if any)

E-Signature (if any)

[1]“İHD: 7 Haziran’dan Beri 262 Sivil Öldü”(İHD: “Since 7th June, 262 civilianskilled), BİANET, 12 Nov. 2015; “İHD raporu: 7 Haziran’dan beri 602 kişi hayatını kaybetti”(İHD Report: 602 peoplelosttheirlives since 7th June), Demokrat Haber, 12 Nov. 2015

[2]“Savaşta, doğmamış çocuklar da ölüyor”(Inwar, evenunbornchildrenaredying), Evrensel, 11 Nov. 2015

Published by CSBR