DEM-led Van Municipality works to reinstate pro-women policies after trustee administration

Duvar English

Turkey’s eastern Van Metropolitan Municipality under the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party continued its efforts to address women's issues. Decisions made by the women's commission under the "women's freedom-oriented locals" initiative were approved in the municipal council meeting.

Öznur Evin, a member of the Metropolitan Municipal Council, spoke to Mesopotamia Agency (MA) about their efforts for gender equality and women-friendly cities.

Evin said that the Van Metropolitan Municipality Women's Commission started its work by reactivating the women's institutions that the appointed trustee had closed or made inactive. 

“We meticulously plan each of our women's initiatives. Initially, we assessed the status of our institutions post-trustee, and then we proceeded with our actions. We revitalized many institutions that had been damaged and rendered nonfunctional. We are reactivating each women's institution that the trustee closed one by one,” she said.

Evin reminded that trustees had previously shut down the "Alo Violence Line," "Women's Shelters," and "First Step Stations." The priority of the committee was to establish the “Alo Violence Line,” an emergency phone line to report domestic violence against women. 

However, to set up the Alo Violence Line, the commission needs to build shelters to be able to offer applicants protection. Evin noted that they have established all the legal grounds, and as soon as the shelters are opened, the Alo Violence Line will also be activated.

Evin noted that the implementation of the “JINKART” for low-income women was only days away, with the infrastructure ready and only printing remaining. 

The project will allow low-income women to take 60 free bus rides per month. The municipality’s goal was to provide the card to all women in the city, but at this stage, they prioritized low-income women.

To prevent violence against women, they activated the "Jîn Women's Button (Life Women's Button)," with the website nearly complete. Evin mentioned that this button could be accessed on the Van Metropolitan Municipality’s main page, and included a multilingual infrastructure.

“We wanted to develop a project where women could express themselves in their native language and report violence without difficulty. We aimed to create a website accessible to every woman.” 

Reminding of past instances where Kurdish women could not report domestic violence using the government’s hotline or to the police, Evin noted the importance of including multiple languages to offer all women an equal chance at seeking help. 

Evin emphasized that the First Step Stations to be established within the metropolitan area would be located in three different central districts, and they had also started working on establishing Women's Counseling Centers in the outer districts. 

“First Step Stations will be the initial contact points for women experiencing violence. We will fully protect personal data and ensure the safety of the women who contact us through these channels,” she said.