With their nationwide campaign “Our word is not over – we will stop violence together,” municipalities administered by the People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) reached around 125,000 women within a year. As part of the initiative, 35 women’s counseling centers were opened and numerous new services for protection, education, and economic participation were created.
The campaign, which was in November 2024 and originally planned to run for one year, has now been extended. It targets gender-based violence and aims to strengthen women’s rights in the cities and municipalities administered by the DEM Party.
According to Eda Bazencir, education coordinator at the Women’s Department of the Union of Municipalities in Southeast Anatolia (GABB), around 700 affected women received legal and psychological support. Further measures included the establishment of 20 women’s shelters, 369 awareness-raising events, the launch of income-generating projects, and the installation of 110 traditional ovens (tandoori) in rural areas.
Bazencir spoke of a “rebuilding process” after the eight-year period during which many women’s policy structures had been closed down under trustee administration. “We are rebuilding what has been destroyed – from the ground up,” she said.
A wide range of services – from counseling to employment support
According to the DEM Party, in addition to offering assistance to women affected by violence, economic and social programs were also set up: 652 women were involved in so-called “city gardens,” 40 women were given sales space at weekly markets, and local products were presented at five women’s festivals. A “solidarity boutique” was also opened, providing support to around 2,000 families.
The campaign also prompted the development and adoption of so-called “violence protection guidelines” in several DEM Party-governed municipalities. According to Bazencir, these guidelines are intended to apply not only to the administration, but also to all cooperation partners of the municipalities.
More support required at the state level
At the same time, Bazencir emphasized that municipal measures alone were not enough to effectively combat violence against women. What was needed, she said, was the consistent implementation of national laws, in particular the Protection Against Violence Act 6284, as well as a return to the Istanbul Convention. “As long as these protective mechanisms are not strengthened, the scope for action by local authorities will remain limited,” she said.
With regard to the socioeconomic situation, Bazencir announced the publication of a poverty report for the region. Economic policy advice is also planned, in which concrete solutions will be developed together with women from the region.
The campaign “Our word is not over – We will stop violence together” was extended for another year on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.