JINHA

ISTANBUL - Women's Initiative for Peace (BİKG) member Feride Eralp, evaluated the closure of 370 NGOs by KHK decree and said, “Now, a government that doesn’t want women, men and the state to be strong, is governing us. This is a big threat to all of us. We are in a time when getting together is very difficult. First of all, we must overcome this and we must stay strong in everywhere.”

Reactions to the closure of NGOs like KJA (Free Women’s Congress, Rainbow Women's Association, Van Women’s Association by KHK decree are growing. Feride Eralp of Women's Initiative for Peace (BİKG) evaluated the attacks on women’s will and the closure of the NGOs. Feride said, “We worked with Agenda: Child Association (Gündem Çocuk) and Peace Initiative for Children. The closed women’s organizations are actually gains of all of us. We founded these associations and organizations together for women to struggle against violence they faced and raise their voice in the society. For this reason, we must see the attacks as attacks on all of our gains. The women, who stand up for their lives, should raise their voice against the closure decision. Right now, no place left for a woman, who is subjected to violence by her husband, to apply.”

Feride noted that first women’s centers of the municipalities were closed down following the appointment of trustees to municipalities held by the DBP (Democratic Regions Party) and said, “Applying legal mechanisms or police isn’t a solution for women, who are subjected to violence. These institutions belong to male dominated system and we are mostly left alone in these areas. They send us back to homes, where we are subjected to violence. All women should react very strongly to what is going on. We saw how women were targeted by the state by closing the associations and appointing trustees to the municipalities. The programs Bread and Rose (Ekmek ve Gül) of Hayatın Sesi TV and Purple Bulletin (Mor Bülten) of İMC TV were the voice of women. JINHA was a all-women agency and they gave particular importance to women’s struggle.

“The building of the KJA was blockaded by police and the police raided on the office of Rainbow Women's Association. Now, a government that doesn’t want women, men and the state to be strong, is governing us. This is a big threat to all of us. We are in a time when getting together is very difficult. First of all, we must overcome this and we must stay strong in everywhere.”