US honors iconic Turkish feminist Canan Güllü among 'Women of Courage'
Turkish Federation of Women’s Associations (TKDF) Chairwoman was honored among the "Women of Courage" elected by the United States Department of State annually. The U.S. said that the chairwoman was "a steadfast champion of gender equality, working to promote women’s participation in governance, the labor force, and education."
Duvar English
Iconic chairwoman of the Turkish Federation of Women’s Associations (TKDF), Canan Güllü was honored among the "Women of Courage" elected by the United States' Department of State annually.
"Canan has been a steadfast champion of gender equality, working to promote women’s participation in governance, labor force, and education," the U.S. said about the chairwoman.
Noting the role Güllü played in hindering the government's efforts to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, the Department of State said that "Canan’s activism has been critical to educating the public about the convention and reinforcing the need to combat gender-based violence."
An international treaty aimed to combat violence against women, the Istanbul Convention became under fire by conservative opinion leaders who said that the text encouraged homosexuality because it encouraged the protection of "all genders."
Every day spent debating a withdrawal from the convention is a day that we enable someone's rape or murder, Güllü said in an online panel on March 8.
"Such a decision about an intervention above domestic law will clear the path to a one-man regime in Turkey. We will sue every single person who says 'Abolish Istanbul Convention,'" Güllü said.
The TKDF was also the entity to launch the first emergency hotline in Turkey in 2007.