The Human Rights Education Program for Women in Turkey (English)

8/9/2019 The Human Rights Education Program for Women in Turkey (English)

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by Liz Ercevik Amado

edited by Nancy L.Pearson

The Human RightsEducation Program for Women (HREP)

Utilizing state resources to promote womens human rights in Turkey

A Tact ical Notebook published bythe Ne w TacticsProject

of th e Center for Vict ims of Torture


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PublishedbyThe Center for Victims of TortureNe w Tactics in Human RightsProject717 East River RoadMinneapolis, MN 55455 USAww w.cvt .org , ww w.newtactics.org

NotebookEditorNancy L.Pearson

DesignandcopyeditingSusan Everson

2005CenterforVictimsofTortureThis publication may be freely reproduced in print and in electronic form as long asthiscopyright notice appears on all copies.

DisclaimerThe views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect those of the Ne w Tactics in Human RightsProject .The project does not advocate specif ic tactics or policies.


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66

5 4

The Center for Victims of TortureNe w Tactics in Human RightsProject

717 East River RoadMinneapolis, MN 55455 USA

w ww.cvt.org , w ww.newtactics.org

Author b iography

Letter from the New Tact icsProject Director

Introduct ion

Womens human rights in Turkey

7

How the tactic was developed

8Developing a partnership with a state agency

11Lessons learned: maintaining success12 O bstacles and challenges in partnering with the state

12Support ing womens multi-level transformation

15Transferring the tact ic

16 References


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July 2005

DearFrie

nd,

Welcome to theNewTactics inHumanRightsTacticalNotebookSeries! Ineachnotebookahuman

rightspractitionerdescribes an innovative tacticused successfully inadvancinghuman rights. The authors

arepartof the broadanddiversehuman rightsmovement, includingnon-government andgovernment

perspectives, educators, law enforcementpersonnel, truthand reconciliationprocesses, andwomens rights

andmentalhealth advocates. Theyhave bothadapted andpioneered tactics thathave contributed to

human rights in theirhomecountries. In addition, theyhaveutilized tactics that, whenadapted, can be

applied inothercountriesand situations toaddressavarietyof issues.

Eachnotebookcontainsdetailed informationonhow theauthorandhisorherorganizationachievedwhat

theydid. Wewant to inspireotherhuman rightspractitioners to think tacticallyand to broaden the

realmof tacticsconsidered to effectivelyadvancehuman rights.

In thisnotebookwe learnabouthoweffective and beneficial building collaborative relationshipswith

government institutions can be toadvancinghuman rights education. Women forWomensHuman

Rights (WWHR)-NewWays inTurkeygained the support anduseofgovernment resources for furthering

human rights educationofwomenat the local level. WWHR-NewWaysdevelopedahighly successful

human rightseducation curriculum forwomen butneeded an accessible, structuredand sustainableway

to reachwomen inneedof learningabout their rights. They foundanddevelopedanexcellentpartnership

throughgovernment run, local level communitycenters. These communitycentersofferednotonly

professional socialworkerswhocould be trained byWWHR-NewWays in facilitating thehuman rights

educationcurriculum, butalsoa safeandaccessibleplace forwomen to learnabout their rights. Wehope

thisnotebookwillprovide ideas and insights forothersas they seekopportunities for buildingmutually

beneficial and sustainable relationshipswithgovernment bodies for furtheringhuman rights efforts.

Theentire seriesofTacticalNotebooks is availableonlineatwww.newtactics.org. Additionalnotebooks

willcontinue to beaddedover time. Onourweb siteyouwillalso findother tools, includinga searchable

databaseof tactics, adiscussion forum forhuman rightspractitionersand informationaboutour

workshops and symposium. To subscribe to theNewTacticsnewsletter, please send an e-mail to

[email protected].

TheNewTactics inHumanRightsProject isan international initiative led byadiversegroupof

organizationsandpractitioners fromaround theworld. Theproject iscoordinated by theCenter for

VictimsofTorture(CVT)andgrewoutofourexperiencesasacreatorofnewtacticsandasatreatment

center thatalsoadvocates for theprotectionofhumanrights fromauniqueposition-oneofhealingand

reclaiming civic leadership.

Wehope thatyouwill find thesenotebooks informationaland thought-provoking.

Sincerely,

KateKelsch


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6

IntroductionSince its pilot application phase in Istanbul shantytowns

during 19951996, the Human Rights Ed ucation Pro -

gram for Wom en (HREP), developed by WW HRNewWays, has expanded to 30 cities througho ut all regions

of Turkey. More than 4,000 women have participated

in the program, which iscurrently the most widespreadand comprehensive non-formal human r ights educa-

tion pro gram in Turkey and in the regio n.

Within the human rights framework the education pro-

gram explorescivil, economic, political ,sexual, repro-

ductive and sexual rights, gender sensitive parentin g,

childrens r ights, and violence against women, with a

focus on grassroots organizing and mobilization for so-

cia l change . And through discussio ns of womens hu-

man r ights and violat ions in relat ion to part icipants

personal experiences, along with workshops on com-

munication skills, the program provides the tools to ap-ply the critical conscio usness of human rights to life.In

this program a variety of fieldsla w, education, gen-de r, psychology, personal development and political ac-tivismintersect within a hol ist ic perspective. Th e

methodology of the program, with its participatory ap-

proach and clo sed group format , is a major factor in

the success of the program,creating an atmosphere of

trust and solidarity among th e women .

To maintain and expand this broad outreach, W WHR

New Ways has uti l ized state resources to implementthe program in community centers. The tactic, in fact ,

emerged as a promisin g collaboration and came to ini-

tial success when we signed a protocol with the Gen-

eral Directorate of Socia l Services in 1998 to implemen tHREP in these centers. Through the protocol , W WHR

New Ways trainssocial workers as HREP trainers, and

these trainers implement the program in community

centers throughout the country.

Th ese government-sponsored and supported commu-

nity centers ar e set up p rimarily in socio-economically

disadvantaged areas of Turkey. Unlike many other statein st i tut ions, they do not run with a hierarchical top-

down structure . By aspiring to cater to the communitys

needs, they provide an appropriate setting f or the imple-mentation of HREP. And as they are state inst i tut ions,

they are much more accessible to women , who face

little resistance from husbands or families for spending

time at a community center. Th e collaboration has thus

proved very fruitful in a number of ways.

In this not ebo ok we provide an overview of HREPssuc-

cess in promot ing womens human r ights on the

gra ssroots level and in serving as a catalyst for socia lchange , and w e explore as well the tactic of utilizing

state resources for human rights education.

Understanding the tacticcontext:womens human rights in TurkeySoon aft er its foun dation in 1994-1996 W WHR under-

took extensive f ield act ion research in Turkey on

womens human r ights issues. The research wascon-ducted in variouscities, and included more than 1,500

face-to-face interviews with women.

The resea rch revealed that t he majority of w omen had

no awareness of their basic human an d legal rights,

and that th ey lacked the knowledge and skills to access

mechanisms to enforce these rights.

An enormous gapthus existed betw een egal i tar ian laws on paper and

the everyday pract ices that governed womens lives.

The Human Rights Ed ucation Program for Women was

developed as a tool to address these problems.It w as

based on the premise that if women are aware of theirr ights as defined in nation al legislat ion and interna-

t ional documents, and are equipped with the kno wl-

edge and skills to realize these rights, they will be ableto devise their ow n strategies to overcome the discrimi-

nation and huma n rights violat ions they face and to

become active agents of socia l change .

Unique in its region of the world, Turkey is governed by

secular law. The foun ding of the Turkish Republic in 1923

brought an end to the Ottoman Empiressystem of

parallel laws and established a secular, unified and stan-dardized legal system adapted from the European sys-

tem of law.

The Turkish Civil Code, adapted from the SwissCivil Codeand introduced in 1926 , abol ished polygamy and

granted wo men equal rights in matters of divorce,child

Peoplethink, sheisawoman,

sheshouldnotseeorlearnanything, and

hereyesshould beveiled. IwasnotawarethatI

haveapersonality, thatIammyself. Ionlyhadduties;

Iwasonlyfulfillingmytasks. Theconceptofshameand

prohibitionswererulingmylife.DuringtheWomensHuman

RightsTrainingprocess, IunderstoodthatIamaperson, awoman

andthatIhaverights. InthecourseoftheWomensHumanRights

Training, Ilearnedcommunication. Ihadtakenothertrainings,

cou

rses before. Yet, itiswith

theW

omensHu

man

RightsTraining

Programthatallthesetrainingsformedawhole, theconceptsstarted

tofitinplace.Duringtheprocess,myhusbandandchildrenalso

changed. Theystartedtoappreciateandsupportme. Bothmy

daughterandIareveryluckythatIhave beenthroughthis

training.AftertheWomensHumanRightsTrainingIfound

myself. Iamacitizen, anindividual;Iexist.

Elif,HREPparticipantfromIstanbul


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Promoting womens human rights in Turkey 7

custody and inheritance. The Turkish Civil Code ref orm

in 2001 abolished the supremacy of men in marriage

and established the full equality of men and wom en

in the family, a result of an extensive nation al cam-paign by t he Turkish womens movement. Women

in Turkey have had th e right to vote an d be elected

since 1934. M ost r ecently, th e 2004 Turkish PenalCode Reform resulted in major amend mentssafe-

guarding womenssexual, bodily and reproductive

rights, and abolished discrimination a gainst or be-twe en virgin , non virgin, married and unmarried

women. Many provisions legitimizing womens hu-

man r ights violat ions have been el iminated from

the new code , another accomplishment of the

womens groups.

But despite egalitarian laws on paper and the gains of

wom en in Turkey over the last d ecade , discrimination

against wome n and girls persists. Even with the statesincre ased emphasis on human r ights over the last 20

years and the impact of the EU ascension process,

womens human rights and full gend er equality are stillnot a priority on the states agend a or in public policy.

Many women are still confined to roles of the girl-

child, wi fe or mother, re str ict ing their human

rights.Furthermore, many customary pract ices which

contradict national legislation and global human rightsnormscontinue to dominate womens lives. Customary

pract icessuch as early and forced marriages, honorcrimes and bride price continue, and patriarchal socia l

constructsstill infringe on w omens human rights the

right to education, to work, to mobility, and to bodily

and sexual integrity and auto nomy.

Althoug h primary education iscompulsory in Turkey,

of f icia l national stat isticsshow that , as of 2000, 19 .4

percent of women in Turkey are il l iterate .Research

conduct ed by WWHRN e w W a ys in Umraniye , ashantytown of Istanbul, found that while marr ied

women do no t legal ly require the permission of their

husbands to work , 50 percent of the marr ied womenliving in Umraniye cannot work because their husbands

do not al low it . And national sta t istics reveal that

womens participation in the labor force and politics isvery limite d,signifying the challenges to womens pres-

ence in the publicsphere .Less than 4 percent of na-

tional parliament members are women, and womens

participation in the national workforce is as low as 18.5

percent in urb an Turkey.

Additional field research conducted by WW HR in east-

ern and southeastern Turkey in 1996-1997 revealed

that 51 percent of wo men had been marr ied againsttheir will, despite the law foreseeing mutual consent

as a pre-conditio n for marriage . Even thou gh the Turk-

ish Civil Code f oresees equal inheritance rights for men

and women , 61 percent of women in eastern Turkey

report that customary laws prohibit the m from inherit-

ing anything.

W WHRNew Ways developed the Human Rights Edu-

cation Program for Women to create a comprehensivebackground for womens human rights issues and legal

r ights in Turkey, at the same time building a critical

conscio usness to enable w omen to realize their rights

and put these rights into practice in everyday life,

bothin private and publicspheres.

How the tactic was developed:Beginnings, 19951998The first pilot implementation of HREP took place dur-ing 19951996 in Umraniye, a shantytown area in

Istanbul to which a large number of people migrate ,

and was in cooperation with th e Umraniye WomensCenter, the only grassroots womens NGO in Istanbul at

the time. W WHR provided trainer trainings and super-

visio ns, and the feedback from participants and train-ers was very positive. The preconceived no tions that

poverty would be an obstacle to the realization of hu-

man r ights, and that wom en would not be drawn to

the program, were both proven wrong.

A second pilot implementation w asconducted in south-

eastern Turkey, and at the same time the success of

the first pilot inspired us to develop a training manual .

A team o f five experts from different academic back-grounds prepared the extensive publica t ion. The

manual, targeting HREP trainers, includes background

Iamthefirstfemalechildwho

wenttoschoolinmyfamily. Ifinishedpri-

maryschool butIwasnotallowedtogotomiddle

school.Myfamilygotmemarriedtomyunclesson. Allmy

lifeIcouldnotevenwalkoutthedoorwhenIwanted. Idiscov-

eredtheWomensHumanRightsTrainingProgramafterIhadmy

sixthchild.Then bothmyfamilylifeandsociallifechanged. Istartedto

talkaboutthistrainingandaboutourrightswitheverywomanIknew. Isaw

thatyouhaveyourownrights, asawoman, asamother, andthatyouhavethe

righttoknowabouttheserights. Westartedworkingasagroupafterthe

WomensHumanRightsTraining.Whenwefirststartedthisjob, wedidnot

evenhaveastudio;weweremakingthecandlesathome.Thenwerentedasmall

store. Inthepast, Iwashardlyabletoleavethehouse, butnowIamtalking

aboutmakingconnectionswiththeMinistryofIndustryandCommerce, the

DirectorateofCulturalAffairs, theCityDirectorate, andprivatefirms.Our

goalistopromotethesocialandeconomicstatusandawarenessofwomen

inDiyarbak?r.Weaimto bringwomenintotheproductionprocessand

takethemoutofthehome. Ipushedthedooropen, Ihaveajob, I

haveagroupofpeopleIworkwith, wehavegoalsandplans, and

hereIaminIstanbulrepresentingmygroup.

Museyyer, aparticipantfromDiyarbakir,

SoutheasternTurkey


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8

information , activities and guidel ines for

each of the 16 modules, with accompanying

instr uctions for trainers and an app endix for

each sect ion containing information sheetsfor participants.Published in 1998, i t has

been suppleme nted by a number of resource

materials, including Its Time toSay No, avideo on domest ic violence produced by

W WHR; the We Have Rightsseries, informa-

tive illustrated booklets on womens legal,reproductive and sexual rights tha t are di-

rected at low-literacy women; and action re-

search article s by WWHRNew Ways.

But despite the positive feed back from par-ticipants on how HREP transformed their

lives, as well as the programssound con-

tentdeveloped and elaborated over t ime

in response to part icipant responseswefaced difficulty finding the means to expand

and sustain the program . HREP was a 16-week comprehensive program,conductedwith intense supervisio n, and group facilita-

tors had to be intensively trained to lead

groups and understand gend er perspective.

Ensuring that the program could be sustained

required immense effort, time and resourcesfrom WWHR. Collaboration with NGOs also

limited the scope of t he program to larger

cities, and our partner NGOs faced fundingproblems that mad e it difficult to implement

the program . Furthermore , our par tner

NGOs lacked the human resources qualified

to conduct intensive grup work and th e qual-ity of the program was diff icult to establish

and maintain.

Facing the challenge ofsustainability: developinga partnership witha state agencyWhile seeking a solution to the problems ofand expansio n , we found tha t the General

Directorate of Socia l Services was establish-

in g community centers throughout Turkey.Although a state-NGO partnershi p, particu-

larly with a femi nist organization, was not at

all common at the time , the Director of Socia l

Servicesa progressive social worker him-

sel fexpressed interest in HREP.

Before moving forward, we researched and evaluated

the pros and cons of such a partnershi p. We were

pleased to discover that the centers ar e set up prima-rily in disadvantaged areas, are not run as hierarchical

top-down institutions, and respond to community needs.

Top:HREPgroup inVan, EasternAnatolia.

Centerand bottom:AworkshopduringHREP

TrainerTraining, Istanbul, 2002.


9/16


We determined, then, that t hey provided a very appro-

priate sett ing for the implementation of HREP. They

are also very accessible to the wom en we are trying to

re ach, as husbands and families are rarely resistant tothe idea of spendin g time at a community center.

Anoth er advantage of the collaboration, obvious fromthe outset, was that we w ould be able to train commu-

nity social workerswho already possessed the educa-

tional and vocational background for the p articipatorygroup work with disadvantaged groupsas HREP train-

ers. Working in the centers equipped these staff mem-

bers with knowledg e of women in the community and

their needs. And because the social workers remained

on staff at the centers, women participatin g in the pro-gram could return after i tscompletion for on-going

support .Ill ustrat ing the partnerships reciprocal ben-

ef its, trainers have found HREP to be very useful in

their work , and HREP participants have themselvesbecome actively involved in t heir community centers.

The existence of these community centers throughoutTurkey helpe d us meet the challenge of expansio n .In

1998 we signed a protocol with the Ge neral Director-

ate , and as it applied to all centers, i t was feasible for

us to identify new centers and recruit new trainers.

Ap proximately 115 social workers have been trainedas trainers in the five sessio nsconducted by WWHRsince 1998. As of 2004, the program has been imple-

mente d in 30 provincesspanning all seven geograp hicregions of Turkey, in over 45 centers, and has re ached

more than 4,000 women.It is the only comprehensive,

non-formal human rights education p rogram in Turkey

with such wide outreach.

O ur collaboration with th e General Directorate of So-

cia l Services began at a t ime w hen a majority socia l

democra t coalition was in government, the state minis-

try heading socia l services was led by a minister fromthe social democrat party, and the app ointed director

of social services was an expert in the f ield and had a

social democrat profile. Assuch, the administration andthe decision makers looke d favorably on the partner-

ship .

Meanwhile , the Gen eral Directorate was ju st start ing

to establ ish the community centers, with the director

of socia l servicesspearheading t he init iat ive.Seeking

programs that would support and enhance the cen-

ters activities, he was exci ted when we approachedhim about HREP, and interested to hear how we

thoug ht the program could contribute to center objec-

tives.It wascru cia l that HREP had already bee n very

successful in the pi lot implement ations and that theprogram was in a fully mat ured state with written and

visual training materials, including a 300-page trainers

manual.

Th e signing of the protocol was thus a product of boththoughtful strategies and favorable circumstances.In

establishing a partnership with the state it wascrucia l

to take adva ntag e of a relatively progressive politicalclimate and iden tify the right individuals with whom to

init iate such collaboration. And in order to ensure a

broad outreach , i t was essential to sign the protocol

Istartedtodiscusswithmyfamilyandfriendsthethings

wehavetalkedaboutandlearnedintheWomensHuman

RightsTraining;Iwasalsotryingtoputthesethingsinto

practice. AfterthetrainingIregainedmyself-confidence. I

learnedthatIalsohaverights, andthatIcanusethese

rights. Irealizedthereisnosuchthingashavingtodo

everythingmyhusbandtellsme.Today,myideasanddeci-

sionsarealsotakenseriously.Whennecessary, Iarguewith

myhusband, criticizehim, evensnapathim.Myrelation

withthehouseholdhasalsostartedtochange.Nowthey

respectme, valuemythoughts, andhelpoutwiththehouse

chores. Ihavemadeitmygoalto beusefulfirstofallto

myself, thentomycommunity.Noteveryonecomestoget

thistraining.ThusIamdoingmy besttoinformtheoth-

ers. ItisdefinitelygreatthattheWomensHumanRights

Trainingis beingofferedhereintheOnurneighborhood,

yettheprocessofchangingourpeopleisaslowone, it

takestime. Iwasnotalwayssuchaninitiating, outgoing

womanwhoknewherrights.AsIsaid,myself-confidence

enhancedaftertheWomensHumanRightsTrainingPro-

gram.

Ihavefriendswhohaveexperienceddomesticviolence. I

explaintothemthattheyhaverightsandthattheycan

defendtheserights. Someofthemhavegonetothepolice

station forhelp. However, thepoliceofficertheretold

thesewomenspouseshavefightsandthentheymakeup,

wecannotinterfereandsentthem backhome.Thepolice

havecertainresponsibilities;thewomanshould besentto

thehospitalforinstance, sheshouldseeadoctor. Every-

bodyshould beinformedaboutthedutiesandresponsi-

bilitiesofthepolicestation. Sincewedidnotknowour

rightsaswomen, wecouldnotdefendthemeither. This

situationchangedaftertheWomensHumanRightsTrain-

ingProgram.NowIgotothepolicestationwithmyfriendswhoweresubjectedtodomesticviolence, andItellthe

officersthereYoupeoplehavetodosomethingaboutthis

inhere;wewilldemandwhatisrightfullyours;andyou

should beguidingus.NowItalktotheminthismanner.

Today, theofficersatthepolicestationaremoreawareof

theirownresponsibilities.

Cemile,HREPparticipant


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10

with the central govern-

ing agency; th is allowed

us to obtain one com-

prehensive permissio nfor our work r a ther

than in dividual permis-

sions for each cente r.A lso cr uc i a l w as o u r

agreem ent on the provi-

sio ns of the protocol (i.e .it s t ime span); on our con-

trol of the content, implemen-

tation , and monitor ing of the

program; and on how HREP would

be integrated into the centers programsfrom the outset .

Following the signing of the protocol , HREPs outreach

broadened rapidly. As WWHRNew Ways we conducte dintensive ten-day trainer trainings (in 1998, 1998, 2000,

an d 2002) with sel ected groups of social workers whothen implemented the program in the f ield on an on-going basis. The scope of t he program expanded in thisway, and through time and experience it became more

institutionalized .

Through years of implementat ion , f eedback fromgroups and trainers, and perpetual evaluation by

W WHRNew Ways, HREP is now conceptualized in the

following five phases.

PHASEI:

DEVELOPING THEPARTNERSHIPPROTOCOL

The initial step of this phase is particularly crucia l: iden-tifying the appropriate partn er and devising a strategy

for a sustainable collaboration.In our case , retaining

the programs quality and making certain it reached

the target population was as important as ensuring

sustainabilty and expansio n. The vision of the GeneralDirectorate of Socia l Services at the t ime therefore

turned out t o be very suitable for us. Our long-term

partnership with a sta te agency in local state inst i tu-tions brought a kind of legitimacy to the program, but

we were also able to retain complete autono my and

monitor ing po wer over program conten t and imple-mentation .

Access to the community centers an d social workers via

the protocol also contr ibuted significantly to HREP, al-

lowing us to reach both reaching trainers and the tar-get groups. With the program integrated into the

services of the community centers, we also had access

to appropriate and suff icient space and resources. 1Inaclosedgroupprocess, participantsare selectedat the beginningandnonewmembersareadmittedduring thepre-determined time

period set for theprocess. Open groupprocessesallownewmembers

to beadmitted, andusuallyareconductedwithopen-ended time

periods aswell.

Iwas bornandraisedinSivas(acityinEastern

Turkey). Oursociety, ourelders, includingmyown

mother, taughtusthatwe, girlsandwomen, arealways

second-classcitizens.Whenwemovedtoanakkale(acity

inNorthWesternTurkey), IparticipatedintheWomensHu-

manRightsTrainingProgram.Duringthetraining, Istartedto

recognizemyselfprimarilyasawomananddefinitelynotasa

second-classperson. Acknowledgingmyselfasawoman, ahuman

beingandanindividualhadhugeeffectsonmyrelationswithmy

family,mysocialcircle.Mostimportantofall, thisacknowledg-

mentaffectedmyself-reflection. I becameaconfident, more

liberatedwomanandperson. IdecidedIwantedtohavea

profession. Iwantedtofindajob tomeetmyownneeds

anddesires.

Senay,HREPparticipant

fromCanakkale

PHASEII:TRAINER

TRAINING

In t h is p h a se t h e

W W HRN e w W a yst e a m t r a i n s soc i a l

w or k e rs a nd o t he r

p o t e n t i a l t r a i n e rs ,each of whom iscare-

fully selected . The Gen-

e ra l D i r ec t o r a t e f i rs tidentifiescandidates from

t he socia l workers a t the

community centers;candidates

can also be recommende d by ex-

isting trainers. We review this list,con-duct phon e interviews with candidates, an d

obtain references from other trainers and the direc-

torate . Our criteria include a willingness to implement

HREP on a long-term and cont inuous basis, a stronginterest in human rights and womens rights issues, an d

experience conducting group sessions.Following the in-terviews we finalize the list of part icipants for thetrainer training.

The ten-day training is a condensed application of HREP,

and also includessessio ns on faci l itation,communica-

tion, feminism and other topics. Through first-hand ex-per i ence as group par t ici pa n ts, the t r a ine rs are

acquainted with th e programssubject matter and meth-

odology. They learn how to conduct the training by study-ing their own rights, examining their own experiences,

and developing action plans to implement t heir train-

ing in their own community centers. When t hey receive

their trainerscertificate at the conclusion of the train-in g , they are eligible to implement HREP on the local

level. They are also expected to make a commitment

to implement HREP in the field, on average completing

two groups per year.

PHASEIII:FIELD IMPLEMENTATION

Certified trainers form HREP groups at community cen-

te rs,creating closed groups1 of 2030 local women. Eachgroup meets once a week , for 16 weeks, in half-day

sessio ns on different modules, and participants who

complet e the program receive certificates. W WHRsup-pl ies the groups with t ra ining mater ia ls, sends a

monthly newsletter to l ink them with each other,

WWHR and with the national and international womens

movements, and provides supervision and support

through site visits and telephone conversations.


11/16


12/16

12

acquire in HREP,

a nd t o sha r e

t h e r e su l ts .

T h e g r o u pprocess a l-

lo ws t h e m

t o e x p r essthe i r i nd i -

vidual expe-

riences andneeds, while

acqu i r i ng a

conscio usness

of the inherent

co n n ec t i o n b e -tw een their individual

experiences and the hu-

man r ights violations experi-

enced by women in general. It alsoenables them to develop strategies, through the assis-

tance and feedback of group participants, to addresstheir own problems, while listening to and helping oth-ers in return .For many women , the first step towardsempowerment is the real ization that t heir problems

are rooted no t in private issues, but in social ones.

As women search for strategies to apply their newknowled ge to t heir lives, they receive support from both

the trainer and their fellow participants. They develop

common tactics to deal with neg ative responses fromothers and to prevent common human rights violations

in their communities, and they become conscious of the

importance of organized action.Since the program pro-

vides t ime for women t o experience changes in theirown at t i tudes and act ions, they are able to evaluate

such changes within the group and share obstacles an d

successes throughout. The empowerment process is

gradual and substantial,since there is the opportunity

to transfer awareness betw een the group discussio nsand everyday life and practice .

Our partnership with Socia l Services and the commu-nity centers has also contr ibuted signif icantly to the

success of the program, ensuring its expansion and

sustainability, and allowing us to train qualified socia lworkers as trainers.Participants are able to return to

the community centers and trainers for further sup-

port, and the venues help strengthe n relationships with

other women and the community. Even at the local

level, then , the program does not take place in avacuum .

The dedication of the trainers has also been a great

motivation, and their efforts to involve professionalssuch as police, teachers, and midwives have furt her ex-

tended the impact of the program.

Finally, HREPssuccess isconnected as well to the close

monitor ing an d supervision provided by WW HRNew

Ways. While participants feel that they are part of a

larger struggle for wome ns human rights, they are alsoable to obtain support and cap acity building o n a local

level. W W HRNew Ways acts as an equal par tner

through t he training and grassroots organizing process,providing participants and groups the space to act , to

organize , and to devise their own strategies according

to their own nee ds.

Obstacles and challenges inpartnering with the stateDespite the overall success of HREP and positive feed-

back from trainers and participants, maintaining the

sustainability and momen tum of such an extensive pro-

gram over a decade has been challenging . We have, fo r

instance, faced a change in the ad ministration of Socia l

Services, with new government sta f f and new socia lworkers appointed to key posts. We have also been

challenged to motivate our state partners to ensurethe continuation of the program, and to continu e fil l-ing the programs need for signif icant human an d f i-

nancial resources. Another major challenge we face is

that socia l services is understaffed and social workers

are overwhelmed by their workload, but the high mo ti-

vation and dedication of trainers to the program helpsto face thischallenge .

Sustaining and expanding HREP and its partnership withthe state has been a particular challenge . The programs

impact on the local level, howeverthe transforma-

tion it creates in participants, the enthusia sm it raises

in trainers,

and the contr ibutions i t makes in the com-munity centershas been a driving force , helping the

program survive throug h changes in government and

administration. The good relationships we maintain with

the mid-level burea ucra ts at the Gen eral Directorate

who are in charge of the central coordination of theCommunity Centers have led them to stand up for the

program, and we have made sure to establ ish open

communication with newly appointed directors to sus-tain the partnershi p.

The financial and physical resourcescontributed by theGeneral Directorate have helped us overcome the chal-

lenges of sustaining HREP. With social workers imple-

menting the program as part of their job descr iption,

the program utilizes the human resources of the state .

Th e centers also provide space for the program , andthe Gen eral Directorate pays for the photocopying of

extra t ra ining mater ia ls. Therefore , even though

W WHRNew Ways is primarily responsible for the fi-

nancia l cost, implementation and mo nitoring, the Gen-eral Directora te and communi ty cente rs act ively

partake in and contribute to the program .

Weliveinthecapitalcity but

wearenotawareofwhatgoesoninthis

country. Inourday, wecouldnotdefendour

ownrights;wewere broughtupinignorance. Ido

notwantmydaughter,mysonormydaughter-in-lawto

experiencewhatIhavelivedthrough. Ihavetomakethis

happen. IhaveseenthatthroughtheWomensHumanRights

TrainingProgram. Ihavechangedmyhusbandaswell; butitis

notonlymyhusband, oursocietyhastochange. Andthiswillhappen intime. Andmost importantofall, Inowlivefor

myself. Ihadnotrecognizedmyownindividualexistence,

desires;Ihadforgottenaboutthepeopleoutthereandhow

totalktothem.NowItravelandtalktomyheartsdesire,

andIwritefreely, withoutfear.

Turkan, aparticipantfromAnkara, Central

Anatolia


13/16


Tactic results:Supporting womensmulti-level transformation

PERSONAL AND FAMILY IMPACT

While it is not common for organizations to commission

external evaluations of their programs, we thoughtthat such research would equip us with more concrete

feedback on HREP. An external evaluation of HREP was

conducted in 2002 with approxima tely 20 percent ofpart icipants, and revealed that the transformation

women experienced occurred on ma ny levels.

The evaluation indicated, for example, that participat-

ing in HREP incre ased self-confidence in 93 percent of

respondents, while 90 percent reported grow th in their

problem-solving abilities.In focus group discussions,

these re sult s were often art iculated as being able torecognize oneself as an individual with human r ightsand to pursue solutions to problems.

Relat ionships within the fami ly a lso transformedgreatly. While 72 percent of the part icipants reported

that the att i tudes of their husbands towards them im-

proved,

93 percent reported that their own att i tudestowards their children improved, in particular with re-

gards to gend er-sensitive parenting.Seventy-four per-

cent stated that they now had greater say in family

decision-making processes.

Another signif icant f inding was the extent to which

women w ere able to stop or decre ase violence in their

lives.Sixty-three p ercent of the women who had faceddomestic violence before the training reported they

were able to stop i t , and 22 percent w ere able to re-

duce it . Many women also bega n to w ork (30 percent)or returne d to pursue their formal or informal educa-

tion (54 percent) after the training program .

COMMUNITY IMPACT:

HREP as a source and tool for grassroots organizing

initiatives

The research a lso clarified HREPs impact in the larger

community. Eighty-eight percent of the women who

participated in the program reported that t hey hadbecome resource people in their communities, provid-

ing guiding and advice to other women .

Top:HREPEvaluationandGrassrootsOrganizingMeetingwith

Trainers, 2003.

Bottom:OpeningCeremonyof theWomensCounsellingCenter in

Canakkale, founded byHREPparticipantsafter theprogram, 2002.

Top:FirstHREPTrainerTrainingClosingCeremony, 1998.

Bottom:HREPGroup in Izmit, NorthwesternAnatolia.


14/16

14

A major outcome of HREP has been the emergence o f

local grassroots womens organizations.Since collective

action and mobilization for socia l change remains one

of the programscentral objectives, the fact that somany local initiatives have emerged from the program

constitutes a major success. W WHRNew Ways hascon-

tinuously supported these groups over the years, asthey signify the broader impact of HREP on local and

natio nal levels.

Th ese grassroots initiatives display a range of diverse

aims and structuresstemming from local needs and

priorities.Some are geared towards womens economic

empowerment, while others focus on activities that

ra ise community conscio usness and support for localwomen . And some combine economic,socia l, and/or

pol i t ical act iv it ies to

promote womens hu-

man r ights. Women inD i y a r b a k i r, f o r e x -

ample , the most eco-n o m i c a l l ydisadvantaged region

of Turkey, have estab-

lished a Candle Produc-

t ion Atel ier in which

they produce ha nd-made candles and sel l

them to local stores

and a national super-m a r k e t ch a i n . T he y

also manage a public

k i n d e r g a r t e n i n

Diyarbakir.

The women work ing

on emerging initiatives

such as t h ese sha r e

their experiences andr eso urces w i t h o n e

o t he r. W om e n f r om

C a n a k k a l e , f o r i n -stance, have received

tra ining on recycled

paper production fromthe Purple Paper Pro -

d uc t i o n A t e l i e r i n

Okmeydani Ist anbu l ,

and have started their

own atel ier. Many ofthe initiatives (Ankara,

C a n a k k a l e , E d i r n e ,

Aydin) work in collabo-

ration with t heir localcommunity centers, ac-

tively contr ibuting to

the management of the centers, providing counseling

and support services for women, and raising funds for

the centers.

Most emerging groups organize series of consciousness-

ra ising activities, re ach out to wo men in their commu-

ni t ies, and take act ion around community issues.Women at th e Gazi Distr ict i n Istanbul have found ed

the Kybele Cooperative, and, in conjunction with their

economic activities, run a local campaign to establish akindergarten. Women w ho have part icipated in the

program in Van have established the first womens as-

sociation in Eastern Anatol ia, and a womenscounsel-

ing and training center.

Top:HREPParticipants in 8thofMarchDemon-

strationswithWWHRNewWaysTeam.

Bottom:Cities throughoutTurkeywhereHREPhas

been implemented.


15/16


Once we comple ted th

WomensHumanRightsTrainin

Program, weimmediatelymovedtoor

ganizeamongourselves, asagroupofpar

ticipants.Wedecidedtoputintopracticeth

thingswehavelearnedduringthetrainingandt

implementourrightsandtobeapartofthewomen

movementinTurkey.Aswomen, weexperiencedi

criminationinourownlivesandseeithappent

otherwomenaroundus. Wehavetofightagain

thisdiscriminationagainstwomen.Werealizedtha

itisnecessaryto beorganizedasagroupinordert

succeed.Thuswedecidedtoacquirealegalidentit

andformanassociation.Weaimtoensurethatth

womeninCanakkaleactivelyparticipateinth

social, economicandpoliticalspheres.Ouru

timateobjectiveistoputanendtothevio

lenceagainstwomen.

Gulay,participantfromCanakkal

WestTurkey

One of the best examples of grassroots organizing

emerging f rom the program , the Associa t ion for

WomensLabour in Canakkale , began as an association

to promote womens economic and political empo wer-ment . Over the years its members have held extensive

trainings,conferences, and workshops on womens hu-

man rights issues, and have established great influencein the local governance.In 2003 they open ed a Women s

Counseling Center, and in 2005 they hosted the Eighth

National WomensShelter and Counseling Center Sum-mi t , bringing together womens NG Os from through-

ou t Turkey.

The grassroots initiatives emerging from the program

demonstrate the transformative nature of the programfor both individuals an d communities. After participat-

ing in the program , women are able to stand up to-

gether for their r ights, to challenge and el iminate

discr imination a gainst themselves in a wide range ofcontexts, and to promote womens human r ights and

equality on local and natio nal levels. Gr assroots NGOsand init iat ives that emerge from the program aff irmthe solidarity between w omen and extend it to the

publicsphere, transforming the web of local pow er dy-

namics and putting gender on the agendas of decision-

makers.

Transferring the tacticHREP and our partnership with a state agency to imple-

ment a comprehensive and wid espread human r ightstraining program have proven successful on numerous

levels. As well as transforming womens lives on a per-

sonal basis, HREP has also re sulted in collective mobili-

zation for socia l change and th e realization of humanrights for women.

To implement such a tact ic, you need to extensively

assess the needs and the feedback of your target group .

Doing so will give you credibility, it self a crucial andpow erful foundation for engaging and developing part-

nershi ps with sta te agencie s.Ideas for ensuring that

your program is widespread and sustainable will behelpful as well. Keep in mind, however, that the agency

and the individuals you approach must be carefully se-

lected in order to ensure fruitful cooperation. With thefrequent shifts in pow er and politics found in state bu-

reaucracie s, this relationship must b e continually fos-

tered, nurtured and developed .

In terms of initiating a partnership and envisioning its

continuity, you must pay great atten tion to th e provi-

sions in the protocolthe signing of an official partner-

ship agreementand to each area of cooperation and

collaboration. You should be certain that the protocolincludes the following: 1) provisio ns that ensure a long

time spanbeyond the current administrator; 2) clear

cond i t i ons for annul -

ment or alterations by

the government; an d

3) clear and set ob li-g a t i o ns f o r e ach

party. An essential

condi t ion of ourpar tnership , f or

example, was en-

su r i n g t h a t t h e

content of the hu-

man r ights educa-

tion program could

not be a l tered and

t h a t t h e p r o g r a mmust be cont inuously

implement ed by trainers.

C o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h a s t a t eagency requires longstanding,close

and continuous relationshi ps with head-quarters at the natio nal level and wit h trainers at thelocal one. These relationships must be continuously main-

tained , and strengthen ed over t ime . We found that

coming togeth er in meetings,social events and awards

ceremonies was useful in enhancing dialogu e and rela-

tionships.

To implemen t a long-term and sustainable human rights

education program, it is essential to sustain the dyna-mism of the program and the motivation of its groups.

Th is requires a process for constantly revising and up-

dating the program according to current needs and p ar-

ticipant feedback,

and for reviewing objectives andstrategies.

WWHRNew Ways experience with HREP has indicated

that the program is a very importan t and useful tool in

promoting womens human rights on personal and col-lective levels, in both private and publicspheres.

Our partnership with a sta te agency hascreated abroad and sustainable outreach for the program,con-

tr ibuting to i ts impact on the local level. Despite the

challenges, the past decade of HREP hasshown that

such a partnership can be highly bene ficial and produc-

tive for all parties involved . We have also been able to

prove that , when provided with the necessary skills,

knowledg e and support , wom en are able to mobilize

for their r ights and socia l change. Through HREP,

women h ave been able to exercise their rights as hu-man beings, individuals,citizens and members of orga-

nizations.


16/16

16

ReferencesAmado Liz E . and Ilkkaracan P., Human Rights Ed uca-

tion as a Tool o f Grassroots Organizing and Social Trans-

formation: A case study from Turkey, Inter cultural Ed ucationJournal, forthcoming.

Ilkkaracan,I.,Ilkkaracan,P. Kuldan Yurtta?a: KadinlarNeresinde? (Fro m Subjects to Citizens: Where are the

Women?), in Bilanco 98: 75 Yilda Teba a'dan Yurttasa

Dogru (Fro mSubjects to Citizens in 75 Years of Turkish

Republic).Istanbul: Tarih Vak f?,1998.

Ilkkaracan,I.,Ilkkaracan,P., et al.Human RightsEd uca-

tion for Women: A training man ual.Istanbul: Women

for Womens Human RightsNew Ways. 2003.

Ilkkaracan,P. Explor ing the Context o f Sexuality in

Turkey, Reproduct ive Health Ma tters, 6 (12), Novem-

ber 1998, 6675 .

Kardam, Nuket.WWHR

New Ways Womens HumanRightsTrainingProgram 19952003: Evaluation Rep ort.

Istanbul: Women for Womens Human RightsNew

Ways. 2003.

Republic of Turkey Prime Ministry State Institute of Sta-

tistics (SIS), Turkiye'de Kadin Bilgi Agi (Wo mensIn-formatio n Net work in Turkey), (20 Ap ril 2005).

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The Human Rights Education Program for Women in Turkey (English)

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