Issue: 1
UNDP is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. And UNDP is well-known to be always in search of and globally open to new horizons for especially the poor. That is exactly why we named our newsletter as: "New Horizons".
We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with our partners on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. World leaders have pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including the overarching goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015. UNDP's network links and coordinates global and national efforts to reach these Goals. Our focus is helping countries build and share solutions to the challenges of:
Democratic Governance
Poverty Reduction
Crisis Prevention and Recovery
Energy and Environment
HIV/AIDS
UNDP helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively. In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women.
In each country office, the UNDP Resident Representative normally also serves as the Resident Coordinator of development activities for the United Nations system as a whole. Through such coordination, UNDP seeks to ensure the most effective use of UN and international aid resources.
The UNDP has been active in Turkey since the 1950s, working in partnership with successive governments and other stakeholders. Since 1986 it has implemented over 80 programmes across the country. In recent years, the UNDP's strategic directions in Turkey have focused around four main human development themes: democratic governance, poverty, environment and gender. While focusing on these areas, we paid particular attention to cooperate with the government, civil society, private sector and international partners to be able to reach our goals. In addition, the UNDP has played a major role in response to crises and disasters in Turkey and the surrounding region.
I have been working as the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Representative in Turkey since April 2003. It has been a pleasure for me to work and to contribute to development in a country as dynamic and energetic as Turkey, which is an indispensable member of the modern world.
In our newsletter "New Horizons", we will inform our readers about the UNDP's key development areas and specific ongoing programmes and projects both in Turkey and on the global scale. We will provide our readers with regular and objective information on the activities of UNDP. You will also find interviews with our project colleagues and partners, along with commentaries on focus areas.
I am delighted in presenting you UNDP Turkey's newsletter, "New Horizons". I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as we take pleasure in preparing it.
Jakob Simonsen
UN Resident Coordinator
UNDP Representative in Turkey
Information meetings were held in Istanbul at Bahcesehir University on 12 December 2005, Yildiz Teknik University on 13 December and Mimar Sinan University on 14 December to inform and enable more young people to benefit from the fund. President of the Agenda 21 Youth Association Sezai Hazir, United Nations Development Programme Project Manager Hansin Dogan and Coca-Cola Turkey Public Relations Director Ebru Bakkaloglu delivered speeches at the meetings. Speakers outlined the fund in general and explained the participants how to make use of the fund.
The second phase of the project applications can be made from 6 December 2005-24 March 2006. "Life+" Youth Fund will provide each project that has been prepared in the areas of sports, environment, education, culture and arts with between $5,000 and $15,000 in funding.
Youth will bring solutions to local issues
The winning projects are expected to target youth aged 16-26, be sensitive to social issues, create social impact wherever they are implemented, be sustainable, participatory, innovative and reflect the youth's dynamism and be executed in cooperation with NGOs and public institutions. Developing the projects in partnership with municipalities, NGOs and other local groups will play an important role in the evaluation process.
The winning projects within the context of "Life+" Youth Fund will contribute to the solution of a variety of issues such as enabling the integration of disabled young people into the social life, establishing qualified workforce, fighting hooliganism at sports games and providing education on sexual health.
Call from Ceza to the youth: "It's Your Turn"
The popular Turkish rap musician Ceza has released a new single entitled "It's Your Turn", exclusively made for the "Life+" Youth Fund. In his song, particularly made on behalf of the fund that supports youth projects regarding culture and arts, environment, sports and education, Ceza summons young people to play an active role in the society and make their voices heard.
Developed by UNDP and Coca-Cola and implemented by Habitat and Agenda 21 Youth Association, "Life+" Youth Fund is the longest lasting and the largest youth fund on the international level realised in cooperation with public and private sectors and the civil society. $1,5 million has been earmarked to fund 100 projects within five years. In 2005 youth groups from all over the country submitted 113 applications, from which ten proposals from the provinces of Trabzon, Kocaeli, Van, Mardin, Siirt, Istanbul, Mersin, Bursa, Adana and Konya were selected and the implementation goes successfully.
For more info on the programme:
Habitat and Agenda 21 Youth Association
Burcin Yildiran
Fulya Mah. Mevlüt Pehlivan Sokak, Ali Sami Yen Apt.
8A/2 Mecidiyeköy, Istanbul
Phone/Fax: (90-212) 275 5519 - 275 7436 - 275 7498
E-mail: youthforhab@turk.net - info@youthforhab.org.tr
For info on other programme partners:
Coca-Cola: www.coca-cola.com.tr
UNDP Turkey: www.undp.org.tr
Young trainers, who will be given advanced courses prior to the project, will provide training for young people who are computer illiterate.
Microsoft Turkey, in association with UNDP Turkey and Youth Association for Habitat and Agenda 21, has developed a training programme in the context of the "Empowerment of Youth for Improved e-Governance in Turkey" project to increase computer literacy. Young trainers, who will be given advanced courses prior to the project, will provide training for young people who are computer illiterate.
At a press conference regarding the project, held on 15 December 2005, the General Manager of Microsoft Turkey, Caglayan Arkan said that they place great importance on projects that target increasing computer skills of the youth. The UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Turkey Jakob Simonsen and the President of Youth Association for Habitat and Agenda 21 Sezai Hazir attended the conference as well.
In his address Arkan stated that, "Young population of Turkey has a great potential for future. However potentials are meaningful only if they are used properly. As Microsoft, we develop projects like "Cooperation in Education", which initiates computer training involving students and teachers. Now, in cooperation with the UNDP Turkey and Youth Association for Habitat and Agenda 21, we give a new impetus to our efforts in the field of computer skills training."
The project, supported by Microsoft Turkey and UNDP Turkey and implemented by Youth Association for Habitat and Agenda 21, started in March 2005. It is based on a peer education model where 40 computer-literate young people from different provinces of Turkey were selected to be initially trained to later provide training for their peers.
Young trainers, being aware of urgent and important steps needed to be taken for the e-transformation of Turkey, are aiming to reach other youngsters in order to enhance and build their IT skills. They have already succeeded in connecting with disadvantaged young people from Istanbul, Canakkale, Yalova, Cankiri, Tokat, Antakya, Adana, Isparta, Elazig, Mus, Adiyaman, Batman, Diyarbakir, Mardin, Siirt and Sirnak.
Trainers will train their peers in their hometowns during the first phase of the project and by January 2006, 2000 youngsters in total will have been trained. The project will last 3 years and aims to become a national project that would enable 100,000 young people to receive basic computer skills training.
Young people who would like to be a "voluntary trainer" or those who want to receive computer training in their own hometowns are encouraged to contact The Youth Association for Habitat and Agenda 21.
For further information:
Habitat and Gündem 21 Genclik Dernegi
Fulya Mahallesi, Mevlut Pehlivan Sokak, Ali Sami Yen Apt. 8A/2
Mecidiyekoy, Istanbul
Phone/Fax: (0212) 275 7498 - (0212) 275 7436
E-mail: youthforhab@turk.net
The two-day conference provided an opportunity for Turkey's government officials, NGOs, cooperatives and members of the banking sector to discuss the global Microfinance industry and to identify models suitable to Turkey. This was one of the initiatives aimed at helping people living in poverty gain access to much-needed financial services by UNDP in Turkey, in support of Turkey's participation in the 2005 International Year of Microcredit.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) hosted an International Microfinance Conference on 12-13 December 2005 at the Marmara Hotel in Istanbul. Expert-level participants both from Turkey and abroad attended the conference, entitled "New Frontiers in Development". The UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Representative in Turkey Jakob Simonsen inaugurated the Conference while Head of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Development Section from the Regional Headquarters of UNDP Jonathan Brooks made the welcoming speech.
The Conference addressed issues such as, "How has the global microfinance sector evolved into an important dimension of financial markets globally", "What are key models and experiences in microfinance", "What key lessons can Turkey draw from regional and global experiences", "What are the experiences of microcredit institutions in Turkey" and "Commercial banks' interest in Microfinance in Turkey and the importance of a regulatory framework" was discussed as well.
"We are aiming to reduce poverty by 50 percent by 2015"
In his speech, Jakob Simonsen stated that through the global practices of the Microfinance system, millions of people have access to financial sectors. Simonsen added that, in order to achieve its Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations targets reducing poverty globally by the year 2015 and that Microfinance is one of the powerful tools to reach that goal.
Jonathan Brooks said that they intended to work with governments and regulators to build and expand the outreach and success of Microfinance, wanted to help create the infrastructure of microfinance and mobilise the assets of the private sector and commercial banks in microfinance.
"95 percent of the loans we provide are paid back in time"
Director of Maya Enterprise for Microfinance, which was established in 2002 as an economic enterprise of Foundation for the Support of Women's Work, Belgin Güzaltan, also delivered a speech at the conference. She said that they aimed to provide capital support to low-income Turkish women who own a small-scale business, who want to expand their business or to establish a new business. Ms. Güzaltan said the following in regard to Maya's activities:
"We disbursed a total of 2693 loans as of 30 September 2005. These loans amount to $ 1.5 million. 95 percent of the loans we distributed to 1500 women from Kocaeli, Istanbul, Düzce and Sakarya up to date have been paid back in due time with no defaults."
UNDP's activities in Turkey to develop an inclusive microfinance sector
The issue of microfinance and its role in reducing economic vulnerability and poverty has been a key subject of discussion and debate over the past year in Turkey. UNDP, in cooperation with the Turkish government, has established a National Committee on Microfinance, comprising members of the Government, NGOs, the private sector, academics and international development organizations, to develop an inclusive microfinance sector. The National Committee is seeking the creation of a national strategy and laying the groundwork for the adoption of the necessary legislation on microfinance in Parliament. The Committee is also working with the private sector to help establish commercial opportunities to further support and advance microfinance. A website and newsletter have been launched to support the project and help build public awareness on the role and benefits of the microfinance sector in reducing economic vulnerability.
The issue of microfinance is particularly relevant to Turkey as a means to potentially reduce the level of poverty. While the number of those living in extreme poverty is relatively low in Turkey, according to the World Bank and State Institute of Statistics, 28 percent of the population experience food and non-food poverty. A UNDP-commissioned study in 2003 found that some two million people do not have access to the basic financial services necessary to pull themselves out of poverty.
Güler Turan (27) is producing hand-woven silk carpets in her single-room house. She received her first microcredit, totalling 1000 YTL, on 16.9.2005. Turan will pay the credit back in eight months, and her monthly instalment is 153 YTL. She learned carpet-weaving at the age of 11 and started her own rug business at home with a few silk balls. When her talent combined with the microcredit, silk carpet weaving became the main source of income for her family.
Turan explains how she benefited from the microcredit:
"We used to have a house of our own, but it was levelled during the earthquake. Shortly after the quake, my husband became unemployed, and since we have two children, we experienced a great deal of financial difficulties. I applied to a bank, but I wasn't found eligible for loans as I had no security to offer them. Their interest rate was pretty high anyway. Then I found about the microcredits. They readily supported me. I bought the material I needed for silk-carpet weaving and can now meet the bulk of my family's expenses. I'm going to sell the carpet I wove for 2000 YTL, which is a fortune for me. I can pay my debts and even purchase goods for the house. I'm planning to save some money and buy a house too. I have started going now and there is no giving up for me. As I receive more micro credits, my income will grow as well as my business. I cannot put into words how the micro credit has contributed to me."
Emine Çakim (50), on the other hand, makes manti (dumplings) and gözleme (pancakes) at a shop co-owned by friends. She obtained two micro credits in 2004 and a third one worth 1000 YTL in 2005. She will repay it by monthly instalments of 111 YTL over twelve months. Çakim tells her story of starting her own business:
"A friend of mine and I were pondering how we could make a living and decided to open a manti shop, as it was the best thing we could do. In the beginning, we started out with several partners and by selling the mantiwe made to acquaintances, expanded the business and rented a bigger shop. But then the earthquake hit, and we started working in huts. We couldn't afford to pay our rent and meet the minced meat and flour expenses. Banks didn't give us loans. Then I discovered the microfinance. I covered all my debts with the microcredit and could purchase more ingredients."
"Now I have left all my troubles behind me. We changed the shop with the second credit and rented a second shop for manufacturing. We started off with one kilo of flour; today I can buy sacks of it. I sell manti to big restaurants. I opened an additional shop with my daughter where we also make gözleme. I have 4-5 friends working for me."
In Turkey, the primary suppliers of microfinance services currently are only two organizations, Foundation for the Support of Women's Work (MAYA), which started its business in 1997 in the Marmara Region by giving microcredits to 100 women only, and Grameen Bank, which gives microcredits in the Southeast Anatolian region, are experimenting with microcredit delivery. These two organisations have by now given microcredits approximately to two thousand women in total and they say that 98 percent of women have started their own businesses and paid back their debts.
According to a study commissioned by the UNDP, the number of people, who could potentially benefit from microcredits in Turkey, is much higher than the ones currently benefiting from microcredits. The market for microfinance services is estimated conservatively at roughly between 1 and 2 million potential clients, considering only loans.
In the absence of a microfinance system in Turkey and given the fact that the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the year 2005 as the International Year of Microcredit to recognize microcredit's contribution to poverty alleviation, UNDP Turkey Representation has started activities to support dialogue around microfinance and promote debate on how microfinance can be used as a tool for poverty reduction. The UNDP Representation in Turkey takes the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's following words as a motto:
"Microfinance regards the poor as a solution, not as an issue. This system is a way of developing their ideas, energy and vision."
Among those in the 40-player line-up were teenage striker Freddy Adu (D.C. United), Patrick Kluivert (Valencia), Rui Costa (AC Milan), Phillip Cocu (PSV), Júlio Baptista (Real Madrid), Sergio Conceição (Standard Liege) and Rivaldo (Olympiakos) and famous comedian Oliver Pocher. Other sporting celebrities that took part included European Ryder Cup hero Sérgio Garcia who swapped his golf clubs for a pair of football boots.
Kemal Dervis, UNDP Administrator praised all those who took part in the game. "These talented athletes have inspired thousands of football fans like me to join our fight against poverty and we are lucky to have them on our team. Whatever the outcome of this game, we will all be winners," he said.
Zidane's team won the match 4-2
Ronaldo and Zidane each captained an international side for this friendly match aimed at mobilizing the public in the fight against poverty. Zidane's team won the match with a score of 4 - 2. Tristan scored 2 goals while Berbatov and comedian Pocher scored one each. Ronaldo-led team's goals came from Cocu and Aboutarika.
It was also intended to focus attention on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted in 2000. The goals were re-affirmed by the leaders of 191 countries at the UN Summit in New York last September. They seek to halve world poverty by 2015 by setting targets for rolling back hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women.
PSV Eindhoven manager Guus Hiddink and Rudi Völler, former head coach of the German national team and current Technical Director of Bayer Leverkusen coached Ronaldo's side. Mircea Lucescu of Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk and German world football champion Lothar Matthäus coached Zidane's team. Italian Perluigi Colina came out of retirement to referee the game for a third consecutive year. More than 20 TV channels around the world broadcast the match live.
Proceeds from the previous games have gone to anti-poverty projects in Brazil, Comoros, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Morocco, Namibia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. This year again, net profits of ticket sales will also finance projects selected by UNDP in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The full player list was as follows:
Milan Baros (Aston Villa); Rui Costa (AC Milan); Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen); Dimitar Berbatov (Bayer Leverkusen); Gilberto Herta (Berlin); Tomas Rosicky (Borussia Dortmund); Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund); Micoud Werder (Bremen); Freddy Adu (D.C. United); Jorge Andrade (Deportivo); Diego Tristan (Deportivo); Sunday Oliseh (Genk); Daniel van Buyten (Hamburg); Khalid Boulahrouz (Hamburg);Raphael Van der Vaart (Hamburg); Thomas Brdaric (Hannover 96); Rivaldo (Olympiakos); Gomes (PSV); Jefferson Farfan (PSV); Phillip Cocu (PSV); Alex (PSV); Anatoliy Tymoschuk (Shakhtar Donetsk); Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke 04); Niko Kranjcar (Hajduk Split); Ricardo (Sporting); João Moutinho (Sporting); Sergio Conceição (Standard Liege); Fernando Meira (Stuttgart); Andreas Hinkel (Stuttgart); Edgar Davids (Tottenham); Santiago Canizares (Valencia); Miguel (Valencia); Patrick Kluivert (Valencia); Vicente (Valencia); Hugo Viana (Valencia); Júlio Baptista; (Real Madrid), Zetterberg (Anderlecht); Aboutarika (Al-Ahly); Vugdalic (AEL Limassol) Mahamadou Diarra (Lyon) and Lukas Podolski (Köln).
In addition to declaring their support for freedom, democracy and human rights, they set eight goals ("Millennium Development Goals-MDGs") for development and poverty eradication, to be achieved by the year 2015:
Building upon the successes of many local level sustainable development initiatives in the past decade, the global community recognized that the progress towards the MDGs will be determined first and foremost by progress at the local level and local actors will need national and global support to develop the capacities they need to make them happen.
In recent years, the Government of Turkey has started to lay an increasing emphasis on the MDGs. An encouraging and significant development in this respect has been the formation under the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of a special Task Force on MDGs to prepare the National Report of Turkey to be submitted to the UN World Summit entitled "MDGs+5" that was held in September 2005 in New York. In conjunction with this initiative, a Report outlining the status and progress in Turkey in relation to the MDGs, prepared under the coordination of the State Planning Organization, was presented to the public in June 2005 via a joint press conference by the respective Minister of State and the UN Resident Coordinator for Turkey. There is thus an apparent interest and commitment on the side of the Government towards the MDGs.
Coupled with its global mandate in relation to the MDGs, the UNDP continues to provide increasing and multi-faceted support to the Government of Turkey in the promotion and addressing of the MDGs at national level. Further, UNDP globally recognizes the importance of localizing MDGs as a means to make the targets as relevant and visible at the local/community level as possible. In Turkey, this issue of localizing the MDGs is important in the context of government's report on MDGs which highlights regional and gender disparities.
The preparations for a new project aiming at localizing the MDGs in Turkey via campaigns and promoting local governance networks, mostly through Local Agenda 21 members, have started in late 2005 and expected to bear fruits in 2006.
'Reducing Socio-Economic Differences in Southeastern Anatolia' project addresses socio-economic disparities in Southeastern Anatolia. The Swiss Embassy in Turkey gives financial support to the project.
As part of this project, an open bazaar named 'Hanimeli', featuring handicrafts and traditional foods produced by local women, was kicked off in the town of Gaziantep on 10 September 2005. 43 women participated in the Gaziantep Hanimeli Bazaar, putting up for sale a wide range of hand-made products from home furnishings and jewellery to home-made meals and clothes. The Gaziantep Hanimeli Bazaar was opened every Saturday until recently. Due to winter conditions, the bazaar will soon be reopened indoors at a venue allotted by the municipality. The bazaar was organized by the GAP-UNDP Socio-Economic Development Project, Gaziantep Municipality and the EU Business Centre.
On 6 August 2005, the project had also launched a similar bazaar in the town of Mardin, where 30 women displayed and sold a wide variety of handicrafts and souvenirs. The Mardin Hanimeli Bazaar was initiated with the joint efforts of Mardin Municipality and Mardin Governorship. It has been set up four times and will open its doors every week starting from April 2006. Women from Mardin also produced post cards under the GAP-UNDP project. They are all hand made and have special woven designs called 'needle work' on them. You can order these cards as many as you want by contacting Gönül Sulargil, GAP-UNDP Marketing Specialist (GSM: 0532 633 7520 and e-mail: gonuls@gmail.com) and contribute to the economic development of Southeastern women.
The social and economic empowerment of women in Southeastern Anatolia is one of the main objectives of the GAP project, which promotes development as a means to reduce regional disparities in Turkey.
The Government of Turkey and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) agreed the way ahead for Turkey to confront the global threat of climate change by signing a new project document in August 2005 in Ankara. The project document outlines future activities including the preparation of Turkey's Initial National Communication, which will report on the steps the country is taking to implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Some $405,000 from the Global Environmental Facility's (GEF) trust fund for developing countries was allocated for the project.
Turkey ratified the UNFCCC, the treaty aimed at mobilizing the international community against the threat of global warming, in 2004. The convention seeks to achieve stabilization of greenhouse gases at a low level.
The agreed project will analyze the potential impacts of climate change, prepare an inventory of Turkey's greenhouse gas emissions and GHG emission projections until
2020 and assess alternative energy scenarios and measures to reduce emissions, as well as enhance local expertise, prepare the initial national communication report and generate public awareness of the issue.
An inter-ministerial National Climate Change Coordination Council has been formed under the direction of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. UNDP Turkey will act as implementing agency and provide consulting services.
Panel held on Impacts of Climate Change on Turkey and Industry
On the other hand, a panel on the Impacts of Climate Change on Turkey and Industry was organized on 22 November 2005, at the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges in Ankara with the participation of the Turkish Minister of Environment and Forestry Osman Pepe, the UNDP Resident Representative Jakob Simonsen and the TOBB President Rifat Hisarciklioglu.
Minister Pepe, in his opening speech, talked about the importance of activities to address climate change issues and stressed the good relations between UNDP and Turkey regarding the issue. Simonsen deliberated on the related activities of the UNDP around the world and in Turkey and expressed his wish to continue to work with the Ministry in order to adverse affects of global warming and climate change. Rifat Hisarciklioglu urged industrialists to work harder to adopt more stringent environmental standards in order to compete in the EU market.
Reflecting on the success of Montreal 2005, the Conference President and Canadian Environment Minister Stéphane Dion said: "Key decisions have been made in several areas. The KyotoProtocol has been switched on, a dialogue about the future action has begun, and parties have moved forward work on adaptation and advanced the implementation of the regular work programme of the Convention and of the Protocol."
Richard Kinley, acting head of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat said: "This has been one of the most productive UN Climate Change Conferences ever. Our success in implementing the Kyoto Protocol, improving the Convention and Kyoto, and innovating for tomorrow led to an agreement on a variety of issues. This plan sets the course for future action on climate change."
Key decisions were made that outline the path to future international action on climate change. Under the Kyoto Protocol, the process for future commitments beyond 2012 got underway. A new working group was established to discuss future commitments for developed countries for the period after 2012. It will start work in May next year.
During the first week of the conference, the rulebook of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol was adopted, the so-called 'Marrakesh accords'. Richard Kinley called this "an historic step", which had set the framework for implementation of the Protocol.
"There is now certainty for a sustained and effective global carbon market. One of the main successes was the strengthening of the clean development mechanism. Under this unique mechanism, developed countries can invest in sustainable development projects in developing countries, helping the developing nations to improve the quality of life for their citizens while also allowing developed nations to earn emission allowances", Kinley said.
"The Dynamics of Honour Killings in Turkey: Prospects for Action" report covers the most shameful type of violence against women in Turkey, namely 'honour killings'. The Population Association of Turkey conducted the research in four Turkish provinces, Istanbul, Sanliurfa, Batman and Adana. 194 people, namely university students, public employees such as teachers, police officers and lawyers, media and NGO members, were interviewed in groups. The report was prepared to analyse the social structure, life styles and the mentality behind these murders and to develop policies to eradicate violence against women including honour killings.
According to the research, despite different perceptions among people, the strongest tendency in all cities is to consider honour as 'a woman, her body, sexuality and the control of women'. Honour is mainly related to women, sexual relations between men and
women, girls' chastity and marital fidelity. This is usually how it is formulated by particularly men, some of the women in more traditional circles and some professionals. Within this context, honour is the wife, i.e. the 'lawful wife', the sister or the mother, other women in the family and even women in a man's immediate environment. A man is obliged to keep a "protective eye" on all these women. Such an understanding extends the men's responsibility and increases the pressure on women.
The findings disclosed the perception of honour within the society, the factors and actions that constitute this perception and the meaning of "dishonourable" conduct. A male university student from Sanliurfa says, "Honour is the reason for our living. That means we live for the cause of honour. Without honour life has no meaning. You can go without money, but you must have dignity." This quotation from the report highlights how "honour" is regarded as a basic necessity.
The report also cites the reasons behind the honour killings:
1) socio-economic deprivations and underdevelopment; 2) patriarchal relations as a consequence of men establishing control over women; 3) role of the family within the society and how people raise their children; 4) social pressures which render men helpless and 5) personal factors.
The analysis of these findings point to four key messages that may shape recommendations for future action in Turkey to reduce honour killings:
1- While honour exists as an important concept within society, honour itself should be de-linked from acts of crime and violence.
2- The younger generation is actually more accepting and supportive of killing in the name of honour than their elders. This finding is reinforced by recent findings that 63% of the young women aged 15-19 expect to be beaten as part of their marriage. These findings show that the young generation needs to be trained profoundly for combating violence against women.
3- Some public officials actually contribute to honour killings by creating an environment and a set of attitudes in which killing in the name of honour is tolerated within the society despite it violates a women's ultimate freedom and rights.
4- At the same time, there are signs of hope as some public officials actively work through initiatives and policies to eradicate the notion of "honour killings".
Media should play a significant role in raising public awareness against honour killings
As it is stated in the report, the democratic institutions in Turkey should be fully committed to the rule of law and universal principles of freedom and equality for protecting and promoting the rights of women and girls. To get rid of the mentality behind the honour killings, state must introduce a zero tolerance policy, which should be supported by all parties including all state employees such as teachers, policemen, religious leaders, legislators, prosecutors, judges and NGOs, community leaders, families and the media.
In the report there are examples of public officials who are committed to actively protect the rights and fundamental freedoms of citizens, as well as those who support beliefs and promote honour killings. A police officer aged 25 from Istanbul says, "What does a person work and live for? It is first for his honour and second for earning his bread. If you are hungry, you can eat a small portion and feel satisfied. However, if one loses his honour, there is nothing to be done, no return. What is honour? It is your wife." Another police officer from Sanliurfa however cites how they help women escaping their plight: "We helped her to be sent to a shelter. Later on she went to another shelter in Ankara. They make them go from one shelter to another in order to make the family lose her track. After a certain time, if the girl wants she can leave the shelter."
The report proposes actions to develop a zero tolerance policy:
(1) Establishing shelters, station services and hotlines to protect the women and girls in danger; (2) Training state employees in gender equality and the social and personal ill effects of honour crimes; (3) Restructuring the national education system to promote gender equality; (4) Training young people, men, women, NGO activists, related professionals on honour killings; (5) Establishing local "discussion centres", especially for families; (6) Working with religious leaders and community leaders; (7) Empowering women and girls through education, training and social activities; (8) Working as a pressure group for the implementation of the recent legal changes.
According to the report the media has a critical role. The media, and particularly local media, should have an informative, critical and transformative role in raising public awareness; provide people with accurate information about both NGOs and other organizations; try to show that violence and murder for the sake of honour violates human rights by quoting social leaders, religious officers, people liked and respected by the society and popular people from the world of science, arts and sports; introduce good examples in the fight against violence, including training and NGO activities.