Women’s rights are no 'Mehter march’
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 13, 2009 00:00
Among overused metaphors, that of the Ottoman " mehter march" is one. You have seen it on public holidays, the robed janissaries in their deliberate tempo: two steps forward, one back. We use the metaphor again, for it surely described the progress of women’s rights under the leadership of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP.
There have been many steps forward. Female participation in the AKP-led parliament may not be what we expect, but it a substantial improvement of past legislatures. Nimet Çubukçu, the state minister in charge of women and family affairs may not be the articulate voice of female empowerment we would like, but behind the scenes a number of female AKP deputies are working tirelessly on behalf of women. Özlem Türköne is one of them. Double standards imposed on women in the justice system have been eliminated under the AKP. Access to education by women wearing headscarves is a symbolically political issue but it is also an issue for many feminists and we support a resolution of the debate that keeps this dimension in mind.
But the AKP’s latest move, a report by the Prime Ministry’s General Directorate of Family and Social Research, is a step backward by any standard. As we reported Friday, it would punish families who have more than a certain number of children by restricting their access to public health care. It attacks "feminist language" allegedly adopted by the news media. At the Daily News, the only predominantly female-run newspaper in Turkey, such a general trend in the Turkish media is certainly news to us. Would that it be so. On the matter of so-called "honor killings," the report seems to suggest that an approach that eschews discussion of women’s rights to protection from feudal codes in favor of a policy that emphasizes faith-based tolerance. In other words, a woman falling in love without familial consent is still wrong but religious sensibility dictates a penalty short of murder.
Women’s groups in Turkey are up in arms at the report, as well they should be. We are surprised that the European Commission is again struggling to find its voice. That policy toward NATO is within the EU’s purview, but such a clear violation of the specific terms of the Turkish-signed Copenhagen Criteria is not, constitutes a distinct frustration.
As Hülya Gülbahar, head of the Association of Education and Support of Women Candidats, or Ka-Der, told the Daily News: "The ruling party has unfortunately long been in a bitter battle with feminism. They have a prejudice against feminism because they can’t bear the image of an independent woman. The party should reconcile with feminism."
We are inclined to agree with Gülbahar. It is time to get the " mehter Band" of policy making moving ahead again. This latest step backwards is just plain wrong.
But the AKP’s latest move, a report by the Prime Ministry’s General Directorate of Family and Social Research, is a step backward by any standard. As we reported Friday, it would punish families who have more than a certain number of children by restricting their access to public health care. It attacks "feminist language" allegedly adopted by the news media. At the Daily News, the only predominantly female-run newspaper in Turkey, such a general trend in the Turkish media is certainly news to us. Would that it be so. On the matter of so-called "honor killings," the report seems to suggest that an approach that eschews discussion of women’s rights to protection from feudal codes in favor of a policy that emphasizes faith-based tolerance. In other words, a woman falling in love without familial consent is still wrong but religious sensibility dictates a penalty short of murder.
Women’s groups in Turkey are up in arms at the report, as well they should be. We are surprised that the European Commission is again struggling to find its voice. That policy toward NATO is within the EU’s purview, but such a clear violation of the specific terms of the Turkish-signed Copenhagen Criteria is not, constitutes a distinct frustration.
As Hülya Gülbahar, head of the Association of Education and Support of Women Candidats, or Ka-Der, told the Daily News: "The ruling party has unfortunately long been in a bitter battle with feminism. They have a prejudice against feminism because they can’t bear the image of an independent woman. The party should reconcile with feminism."
We are inclined to agree with Gülbahar. It is time to get the " mehter Band" of policy making moving ahead again. This latest step backwards is just plain wrong.