UN Women Türkiye’s #NoExcuse campaign underlines the importance of legal frameworks for ending violence against women

Within the framework of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, UN Women Türkiye kicked off the #NoExcuse campaign to underline the importance of protective legal frameworks and calls for the effective implementation of laws to prevent violence against women.

The #NoExcuse campaign aims to raise public awareness about the current legislation in Türkiye, calling for its effective implementation and further strengthening, on the basis of international standards and recommendations.

Despite international standards, laws, and policy commitments, violence against women and girls remains one of the most persisting issues in the country. Recent research indicates 4 of 10 women are exposed to intimate partner physical or sexual violence.

The #NoExcuse campaign was launched with an event in partnership with the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye on 24 November 2023 at Atakule, Ankara, the capital of Türkiye. The event brought together civil society organizations, government officials, diplomatic representatives, and the media to express solidarity and commitment to end all forms of violence against women and girls.

“We raise our voices for women and girls who are exposed to violence in their homes, in their relationships, in their workplaces, in public spaces, or in the online digital sphere. In times of war, and in times of peace. In post-conflict and post-disaster settings. Gender-based violence is something we can prevent and end, once for all. We know what to do: reform and implement laws and multisectoral policies; ensure survivors have access to the services they need; scale up evidence-based prevention interventions and hold perpetrators to account. These will, however, not happen by themselves. Our gender-based attitudes and behaviors must change, and it must start right from ourselves; then, the transformation will spread to society,” says Asya Varbanova, UN Women Türkiye Country Director in her opening remarks.

The Head of the EU Delegation to Türkiye, Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut gave an opening remark at the event: “Eliminating violence against women and advancing women’s rights and gender equality remains at the top of EU’s agenda, both internally and in our partner countries. This October, we welcomed the historic accession of the EU to the Istanbul Convention. In Türkiye, we aim to continue assisting society in empowering women and girls and assist Türkiye in safeguarding gains already made.”

At the event, representatives from civil society organizations took the stage to say “No Excuse” to all  forms of gender-based violence. Representatives of women-led civil society organizations supported by UN Women within the ‘Strong Civic Space for Gender Equality’ project, funded by the European Union, gave speeches at the launch event. They not only expressed their manifests and commitment to ending violence against women but also shared how they have played a pivotal role in transforming the lives of women survivors.

“Violence has serious effects on women’s health. We continue our efforts to ensure that women survivors receive preventive and protective support from the health system,” says Ayşe Tek, coordinator implementing a project on strengthening health service mechanisms for women survivors at Turkish Family Health and Planning Foundation.

“It is crucial to ensure the effective implementation of legal frameworks, and prevention and protection mechanisms to preserve the well-being of women and girls with disabilities. Women with disabilities are empowered when they are fully informed and have access to protection mechanisms,” says Özlem Kara, lawyer and activist from the Association for Gender and Legal Studies and Association of Women with Disabilities.

During the campaign launch event in Ankara, an art piece was created by artist and lawyer Kutlay Evrensel aka kutlayus. Evrensel emphasized the importance of laws and legislation in combating violence against women in his work, in which he created an “Eye” silhouette using the basic concepts in the legislation. “The symbolism of the eye expresses that the law sees these realities and that these realities should be seen by everyone. The eye is a profound visual metaphor that allows us to understand the power of these words and the critical role they will play in social change,” said Kutlay Evrensel.

As part of the ongoing campaign, UN Women Türkiye invites the public to participate in an 11-question quiz about national legislation on UN Women ECA webpage. The campaign, spanning the entire 16 Days of Activism, aims to raise public awareness regarding the legal framework on ending violence against women and urges the public to reject excuses with the hashtag #NoExcuse.

The #NoExcuse campaign places the stories of women who have escaped violence and harassment and are seeking justice through the law at the center to amplify their voices. The stories of Zeynep*, Elif*, and Fatma* were narrated by UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Demet Evgar in a powerful video testimony. The video, crafted with stories provided by KAMER Foundation, Leader Women Association, and Sil Baştan Association, was produced by UN Women and funded by Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

*Names have been changed to protect the identities