A 'Struggle Workshop' organized against Civil Code amendments

The Women for Equality Platform (EŞİK) and the We Will Stop Femicide Platform Women's Assemblies organized a Struggle Workshop for the Civil Code.

While the Ministry of Justice held a "Turkish Civil Code Workshop in the Century of Turkey" behind closed doors on January 4-5, women organized their own workshop in the midst of all these developments against those attacking their rights.

The Struggle Workshop for the Civil Code, organized to discuss problems and solution proposals with women from all segments of society who are the true owners of the civil rights now being opened for debate, began at 11:00 AM at the Taksim Point Hotel with opening speeches by Fidan Ataselim, General Secretary of the We Will Stop Femicide Platform Women's Assemblies, and Lawyer Hülya Gülbahar from the Women for Equality Platform.

Following the opening speeches, the importance of the Civil Code was addressed in the first session. Moderated by Esra Şen, Lawyer Nazan Moroğlu, Coordinator of the Istanbul Women's Organizations Union, Özlem Şen from Kaos GL, and Gülsüm Kav, General Representative of the We Will Stop Femicide Platform, took the floor.

The first session of the workshop concluded with contributions from CHP Women's Branches Chair Aylin Nazlıaka, DEM Party MP Ceylan Akça, EHP spokesperson Özge Akman, CHP MP Sibel Suiçmez, and CHP MP Elvan Işık Gezmiş.

"WE ARE LIVING THROUGH DAYS WHERE NOT ONLY WOMEN, BUT THE CONSTITUTION ITSELF IS BEING TARGETED"

Fidan Ataselim, General Secretary of the We Will Stop Femicide Platform, who took the floor first at the workshop, began her speech by greeting her fellow activists and all participants:

“As you know, the Ministry of Justice held a workshop on the Civil Code on January 4-5. Reaching out to touch the Civil Code means declaring war on secularism. But we will never let them pass. Because we are not limited to the women gathered in this hall; we are trying to be the voice of hundreds of thousands of women. Let no one doubt that we will create a great front of struggle.

We felt the need to hold this workshop because they are organizing various family councils, symposiums, and workshops, putting forward so-called male grievances and saying they will handle family law from scratch. We are living through days where not only women, but the constitution itself is being targeted.

An atmosphere of fear is spreading in the country. They are trying to attack our right to organize. They are trying to intimidate women who struggle with detentions and arrests. But we believe that we can put forward a pluralistic struggle and a common mind.

As I conclude my words, I would like to address all the women our voice reaches: Do not be afraid, they will not be able to touch the Civil Code, they will not be able to make us sit at any table where we are not equal. Do not be afraid, we will not let them touch our right to alimony. Do not be afraid, they will not be able to impose a slave-like life upon us within the trap of the family. Do not be afraid, we will not give up on an equal, free, and secular life. Do not be afraid, we will weed out the anti-equality, bigoted ideas of those who say they will weed out Law 6284 from every area of life. Do not be afraid, we will never give up the struggle. No woman will ever walk alone!”

"DON'T TOUCH THE LAWS, ENFORCE THEM"

Afterwards, Hülya Gülbahar from the Women for Equality Platform (EŞİK) made statements pointing out that the civil law, along with secularism, is the pillar and indispensable part of social life:

“The Minister of Justice is making statements saying he will handle family law in its entirety. They are organizing a number of workshops to deceive the public and women. As feminists and women, we must not fall into the trap called 'quick divorce.' Of course, we advocate for women to lead independent lives both inside and outside the home. However, they want to make us forget that the existing economic violence continuing within households is also a type of violence that negatively affects women's lives. We were able to postpone the attacks on the right to alimony brought to the agenda by Bekir Bozdağ by opposing them with the alimony resistance of female MPs on April 10, 2022. We must weave a common struggle without falling into traps and without falling into despair.

On February 17, the day the Civil Law was adopted, they might bring before us a legislative proposal that would riddle the Civil Law with holes. But we can stop them; millions of women can succeed together. The duty to continue defending the Civil Law and other laws falls to us.

Those who do not implement the Constitution do not have the right to make a new law. As the Women for Equality Platform (EŞİK), we say, 'Don't touch the laws, enforce them.' Good luck to us all!” she said, concluding her remarks.

First session of the workshop: The importance of the Civil Code and the struggle against the risks it faces

Following the opening speeches, in the first session addressing the importance of the Civil Code and the struggle against the risks we face, moderated by Esra Şen, Lawyer Nazan Moroğlu, Coordinator of the Istanbul Women's Organizations Union, Özlem Şen from Kaos GL, and Gülsüm Kav, General Representative of the We Will Stop Femicide Platform, took the floor.

"WE WILL CONTINUE TO STAND HAND IN HAND IN SOLIDARITY FOR EQUALITY"

Atty. Nazan Moroğlu began her speech with a presentation titled "The Civil Code: Our Gains, Our Concerns, Our Determination for the Struggle for Equality":

“The 1926 Civil Code is the symbol of the legal revolution, legal unity, and secular law, and it is the guarantee of women's rights. Therefore, we will continue to hold firmly onto the Civil Code. As a result of our struggle for changes suitable for the developing needs of the time, the Istanbul Women's Organizations Union was established on February 17, 1995, and we had efforts regarding the regulation of the Civil Code. The unchanging essence of the law was secularism. Our evaluation proposals regarding the Civil Code draft submitted to the TBMM on February 17, 1998, were published. With the Civil Code that entered into force on January 1, 2002, equal representation within the family and equal property sharing became possible. Against the planned steps backward, we launched a signature campaign called 'I Am Protecting the Civil Code' on December 2, 2014. Later, they wanted to touch alimony; this time, we wove the resistance together with EŞİK.

The Civil Code cannot be rewritten from scratch; we women will protect the Civil Code to the end. Our demand for equality in the law is a struggle for democracy; we will continue to stand hand in hand in solidarity for democracy, for secularism, and for equality.”

"EVERY DISCOURSE TARGETING LGBTI+ INDIVIDUALS TOUCHES WOMEN IN SOME WAY"

On behalf of Kaos GL, Özlem Şen made statements regarding the hate policies against LGBTI+ individuals during the 20-year AKP rule:

“After 2010, the AKP's most explicit hostile expression regarding the existence of LGBTI+ individuals emerged in the Ministry of Family and Social Services' discourse that 'homosexuality is a disease.' In 2012, with the discourse 'Every abortion is a Uludere,' women were targeted this time; every discourse targeting LGBTI+ individuals touches women in some way. With the increase in LGBTI+ visibility, the pride march was banned in 2015, and in the 2020s, the existence of LGBTI+ individuals was openly shown as the reason for withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention. Thus, the feminist movement, the women's movement, and the LGBTI+ movement's contact were targeted.

At the point we have reached today, Law 6284, alimony, and the existence and organization of LGBTI+ individuals are being targeted in election manifestos, drawing strength from large family gatherings. Every discourse containing hatred towards the existence of LGBTI+ individuals brings with it discourses that target women's rights immediately afterwards. The solidarity of the women's and LGBTI+ movements has been ongoing since the first moment these movements took to the streets. If a norm is to be built in Turkey's second century through anti-gender discourse, our united struggle and solidarity must also continue.”

"WE WITNESSED 'LONG LIVE SHARIA' SLOGANS ECHOING IN THE ANADOLU COURTHOUSE"

Gülsüm Kav, General Representative of the We Will Stop Femicide Platform, began her remarks by stating that she would draw a framework for her speech on the importance of the Civil Code and its integrity with other social issues:

“In recent days, we witnessed 'long live sharia' slogans echoing in the Anadolu Courthouse, which we boast of being the largest courthouse. On the other hand, relatives who want to carry the photos of women who died in the same courthouse are being prevented, and there is interference with the rainbow flag. When we look at what is behind these inequalities and discriminatory interventions, we see practices contrary to the constitution that have been going on for a long time. From ÇEDES to sexual abuse, from the appointment of trustees to the withdrawal of the signature from the Istanbul Convention, all practices are related to our lack of democratic constitutional functioning. Therefore, we see in the attacks on the constitution that our struggle for the Civil Code is a necessary struggle for everyone. When we address secularism and the Civil Code with this integrity, many areas of struggle emerge: law, politics, culture, education, art, the labor regime... We have no other way but to create a holistic struggle in all these areas.

Do not be afraid, we have our struggle; those who say 'from scratch' will be defeated by the struggle of organized women. May our path be clear.”

The first session of the Struggle Workshop for the Civil Code, where CHP Women's Branches Chair Aylin Nazlıaka, DEM Party MP Ceylan Akça, EHP spokesperson Özge Akman, CHP MP Sibel Suiçmez, and CHP MP Elvan Işık Gezmiş also took the floor, concluded with the institutional and individual contributions made.