The online Purple Map helps more municipalities build gender-responsive services in Türkiye

UN Women Türkiye has launched the Purple Map, a gender-responsive interactive tool, in two major cities in the country so far. Launched in Ankara in 2021, the Map is now also available in Eskişehir, a city in Türkiye’s northwest. The Map, which is an easy-to-use guide that shows women’s centres, social assistance opportunities, and day-care centres, aims to make the city safer and its services more equal for women.

The Purple Map, which is implemented in partnership with the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) and funded through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, was launched for the first time in Türkiye ‘s capital, Ankara, in 2021. In June this year, the Purple Map also became available in the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality.

The Purple Map website responds to the different needs and priorities of women, men, elderly and all segments of the society. It enables the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality to develop its gender-responsive services accordingly.

The Purple Map shows the various needs of women such as security, day-care centers and social assistance opportunities and also helps to identify the locations that need to be improved in Eskişehir. Citizens can report places and problems to the municipality in the area where they live that. For example, if they feel unsafe by using the Map’s ‘Notify Risky Area’ tab. Users can also connect with female mukhtars and council members.

Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality plans to develop new gender-responsive services by using the data gathered from the Purple Map tool.

The interactive tool was introduced to the mukhtars, district municipalities and civil society organizations at an event held in the Eskişehir Culture and Art Palace Opera Hall on 29 June.

“This interactive tool will not only provide us with a road map but will also be a tool where women can report risky areas. As municipalities, we will fulfil our responsibilities in the districts where risk is reported. We will collaborate with different partners to make the city more equal and safer for women,” says Nuray Akçasoy, Council Member of Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality, during her opening remarks at the Purple Map launch event.

“The cooperation among cities in the world has been strengthened to solve the mutual problems of the cities. As TESEV, we are focused on helping to find solutions to these problems and raising awareness on social issues. We acknowledge the necessity of creating a digital tool for the creation of data-based decision-making mechanisms,” says Necla Zarakol, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation.

“Local governments play an important role in creating the foundation for an equal world and building inclusive societies. UN Women supports local authorities across the world in designing and implementing gender-responsive policies to improve access, availability, and quality of public services for women and girls. To facilitate a more inclusive and enabling environment, where all women can participate in public life, we will continue promoting the Purple Map as a global best practice,” says Duygu Arığ, Programme Specialist at UN Women Türkiye.

UN Women will continue to promote the map in other municipalities across Türkiye to support them in providing gender-responsive services.