Boosting legal literacy for women survivors in Türkiye's earthquake zones

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye in February 2023, UN Women Türkiye has launched a strategic initiative to empower women by enhancing their legal literacy. Implemented in partnership with the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (UTBA), the “Capacity Development and Technical Assistance for Enhancing Women’s Post-Earthquake Legal Literacy” project marks a significant step towards providing crucial support to women survivors facing legal challenges in the wake of the disaster.

“The project targets the five most impacted provinces—Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, and Malatya—focusing on increasing women’s awareness of available legal support. Through a series of information sessions, women survivors residing in temporary accommodation centers are equipped with the knowledge and resources necessary to navigate issues such as violence against women and earthquake-induced legal concerns including housing, land, and property rights.

The Bar Association in Malatya implemented the project with the support of over 30 volunteering lawyers, organizing 45 informative sessions for women survivors living in container cities. In Malatya, where the courthouse, which also hosted the bar association, was destroyed in the earthquake, conditions for seeking rights and accessing justice have been particularly difficult for women.

“After the earthquakes, this project helped us reach women and provide legal information directly. During the sessions, we also provided support on which service buildings to visit in case of legal issues. We made sure to convey our support to women who lost their loved ones and homes in the earthquakes, reassuring them that we stand by their side,” says Duygu Hanlıoğlu Levent, lawyer and Project Coordinator at the Malatya Bar Association.

With the support of UN Women, volunteer lawyers from Malatya Bar Association received technical capacity development refresher sessions on service delivery to women survivors of the earthquakes, addressing their specific earthquake-induced legal needs, and responding to increased risk of violence against women and girls in the region.

“With this project, we are trying to eliminate the difficulties of women in the earthquake region in accessing legal resources. We bring together women from all walks of life. The exchange of information at the meetings revealed the women’s need for legal support and their desire to receive this information. As lawyers, it is an honor for us to participate in these meetings,” says lawyer Gül Erdoğan.

During the sessions, Malatya Bar Association lawyers inform women  about rights ownership, lease law, family law, children’s rights, and Law No.6284 on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence against Women. By March 2024, the Malatya Bar Association has reached and informed over 550 women.

“At the sessions, I noticed that women were particularly unaware of their rights, especially the rights under Law No. 6284. They believed that they would be victims regardless of their actions, and accessing justice was extremely challenging. However, by illustrating good practice examples during our discussions, women left the meetings enlightened and learned how to exercise their rights,” says lawyer Duygu Nurefşan Doğan.

UN Women Türkiye remains committed to supporting women affected by the earthquakes through projects like the ‘Capacity Development and Technical Assistance for Enhancing Women’s Post-Earthquake Legal Literacy.’ Through the circulation of informative materials and the conduct of awareness-raising sessions, UN Women’s interventions aim to create a supportive legal environment and enhance the legal literacy of women affected by the earthquakes, fostering a path towards recovery and empowerment.

UN Women Türkiye is actively working on the ground against the devastating impacts of the earthquake on women and girls in coordination with public authorities, civil society, and UN agencies. You may check the In Focus page for more information.