Turkish police have found the body of a 16-year old girl who they believe was buried alive in an honor killing “carried out as punishment for talking to boys,” reports The Guardian. An informant allegedly told the police that the girl had been killed after a “family council meeting.” The father and grandfather of the girl, who is known only by the initials MM, have been arrested and are being held in custody.

Honor killings are reportedly prevalent in the southeast of Turkey, and official figures estimate that more than 200 honor killings take place each year, “accounting for around half of all murders in Turkey,” according to The Guardian.

Turkish girl, 16, buried alive for talking to boys - The Guardian

In 2010, the international community marks the 15^th anniversary of the historic Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China in 1995. It was in Beijing that former-First Lady and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared:

“human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.”

In preparation for this significant anniversary, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has requested member governments to respond to a questionnaire on the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, which was adopted at the conference to guide progress on women’s rights around the world. UN regional commissions are simultaneously evaluating achievements and considering challenges in the period from 2004 to 2009.

Among the 26 nations to recently submit their questionnaires, Turkey has released a report that highlights legal developments made while noting that implementation of various laws has proven difficult. Gender-sensitive advancements have been made to legislation including the Labor Law, Criminal Code and Civil Code. Adopted provisions now extend equal rights of employment to all women and formally abolish discrimination against women and girls. Patriarchal and derogatory language has been removed from the national Civil Code, replaced with language that emphasizes the joint responsibility and ability of spouses to make decisions in their household. A National Plan has also been developed to guide action on women’s rights in the spheres of education, poverty, health and the environment, among others.

Perhaps the most problematic area for women’s rights in Turkey, as noted in the government’s response to the questionnaire, is the prevalence of violence against women. Despite legal provisions, the implementation of the Criminal Code and violence-prevention measures remains a significant challenge. Further, “the sexist point of view in the societal structure creates barriers against women’s participation in social life and their enjoyment of the existing legal rights.” The report concludes with a call for collaboration between agencies and organizations of the state in an effort to advance gender equality.

Questionnaire to Governments -Turkey Responds

Related:

The Significance of CEDAW in Turkey: Interview with Urun Guner

Bulgarian Education Minister Yordanka Fandukova was elected the first female mayor of the capital city of Sofia in what was described as a “landslide victory” by the Southeast Europe Times. Winning 66 percent of the vote, Fandukova handily defeated her fellow candidates in the mid-November contest.

Sofia elects first woman mayor-SETimes.com

This month, we would like to update our network on the work of Marina Pisklakova, Russian domestic violence advocate and 2004 Vital Voices Global Leadership Award honoree.

Marina Pisklakova, a member of the Vital Voices Leadership Network and founding member of the Advisory Council, openned the first domestic violence crisis hotline in Russia. Her organization, National Center for the Prevention of Violence – ANNA (Association – No to Violence), is a regional non-governmental non-profit organization focused on prevention of violence and development of services for women survivors of violence. By conducting educational and prevention programs, collaborating with mass media to raise awareness, and providing legal aid and psychological support, ANNA is assisting survivors of domestic violence across Russia, with more than 40 centers currently operating.

In 2008, ANNA created the National Independent Commission on Women’s Human Rights and Violence Against Women. The commission recently released a new report entitled “Territory of Silence.” Analyzing statistical research, the commission found that violence occurs in one in four families, and each year 14,000 women die as a result of spousal abuse in Russia.

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On Thursday, November 19^th, 2009 the European Union chose the leaders who would represent the EU to the rest of the world. In a great feat for women, Baroness Cathy Ashton, a former UK Labour Party member in the House of Lords, was chosen as the European Union’s Foreign Minister and the Vice President of the European Council.

On receiving the appointment, Ashton said with honor:

“I was the first woman British Commissioner, the first woman Trade Commissioner, so I am also proud to be the first woman High Representative.”

EU foreign head dismisses critics- BBC News

Profile: EU foreign minister Baroness Ashton

This September, Vital Voices once again partnered with the Open World Leadership Center and American Councils to host two delegations of women from Kazakhstan and Ukraine as part of the Open World program, sponsored by the United States Library of Congress. The delegates were accomplished businesswomen, political officials and NGO leaders, selected for demonstrating leadership in their field. During the program, participants engaged in intensive professional development training designed to enhance their knowledge, skills and networks in their spheres of influence.

The focus of the Kazakhstan program was Women in Public Leadership. The goal is to further the effectiveness of the government, private sector and civil society in Kazakhstan as an important step to achieving democracy, government accountability and respect for human rights. The delegates from Kazakhstan were Kuralay Bekenova, Sara Gumirova, Kadisha Ospanova, Bakhyt Syzdykova and Gaukhar Ospanova. One of the delegates, Bakhyt Syzdykova, is the youngest female deputy in parliament and has helped develop laws to combat domestic violence and achieve gender equality as a member of the Committee for Social and Culture Development.

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VIENNA — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warns that human trafficking is flourishing in the shadows of the global economic downturn.

Clinton gave a video address to an international conference in Vienna examining the scourge of forced labor, sexual slavery and other forms of exploitation. She says urgent steps are needed to crack down on traffickers.

Clinton says she has seen the suffering firsthand: girls in Thailand who were trafficked as young children and are now dying of AIDS, and mothers in Eastern Europe whose daughters have vanished.

She warns that “new economic pressures are likely to aggravate the problem further.”

Clinton’s speech Monday kicked off a two-day conference of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe.

-Washington Post

September 15 marks the United Nation’s International Day of Democracy. In celebration of this date in Sweden, the Riksteatern theatre group and the University of Stockholm will present a performance of “SEVEN” on September 14.

The play celebrates women’s rights, democracy and global progress. The seven women portrayed in the play include Nigerian human rights advocate, Hafsat Abiola, Afghani peace builder, Farida Azizi, Guatemalan congresswoman, Annabella De Leon, Russian domestic violence fighter, Marina Pisklakova-Parker, Pakistani women’s rights leader, Mukhtar Mai, Irish social justice leader, Inez McCormack, and Cambodian member of parliament and human trafficking combatant, Mu Sochua.

The distinguished playwrights include Anna Deavere Smith, Ruth Margraff, Gail Kriegel, Paula Cizmar, Susan Yankowitz, Carol K. Mack, and Catherine Filloux.

A National Action Plan on the Prevention and Elimination of Violence Against Women has recently been adopted in Slovakia, and will be implemented from 2009-2012. UNIFEM and The Advocates for Human Rights report that the plan extends the amount of time that perpetrators of violence are to be removed from the home shared with the victim; current legislation provides for a removal of 48 hours, and the new plan will consider an extension of up to 14 days.

Domestic agencies including the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and Family have recommended that the three-year plan “consider the need for a specific law covering all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence.” A provision for the comprehensive training of “all relevant professionals, such as the police, health care professionals, judges, legal professionals, social workers, psychologists, and teachers,” is included in the plan for national action.

Central to the plan is the provision of “speedy and effective support” to women experiencing violence, and therefore a ‘Coordination Center for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence Against Women’ is to be founded in the next three years. At least one shelter, crisis center and counseling center is stipulated within the plan. The National Action Plan is intended to strengthen existing provisions and services for women targeted by violence in Slovakia, and will be carried out in conjunction with comparative studies of other European Union member states.

New National Action Plan on VAW-Stop Violence Against Women

A report released by the Women and Work Commission yesterday, July 29, revealed shocking news on pay equity in the United Kingdom: since 2007, the gap has widened.

Women in the UK make an average of 22.6% less than male counterparts, or in other words, about 88 cents on the dollar. The discrepancy has increased 1% since 2007, a setback in progress.

Conversely, the United States suffers from pay inequity on an average of about 78 cents on the dollar.

The report attributes the inequity to occupational segregation (i.e. stereotypes that women are nurses and men are doctors, for example) and general gender discrimination in same skill jobs.

Cited amongst potential remedies is the implementation of government programs to provide apprenticeships and entitlements for women in non-traditional occupational sectors. In addition, the report proposes diversity education for school guidance counselors.

Full Report
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