Oomen-Ruijten: Gender equality is in hearts of people

“Without it you can’t have gender equality in a society. Gender equality is in the hearts of people. More than legal texts the mentalities of people have to be changed. If the mentalities do not change, even with legal texts you won’t change anything,” she said yesterday at a meeting organized by the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey (KAGİDER).

When it comes to how to implement laws, she says it is possible only through punishing violators.

“All violations of gender equality should be brought to court,” she said, adding her observations on Turkey.

“In cities, this is mostly the case [that violations of gender equality are brought to court]. But in the Southeast, when there is violence against women, I am not sure if a police officer will bring it to court. This is a mentality, and changing it is a process that will take time,” she said. She added that the Turkish Parliament has an Equal Opportunity Commission. There is also legislation to prevent domestic violence, and there is ban on forced marriage.

“Legislation is fine in this country, but what is lacking is [its] implementation,” she said.

A member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and a member of the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats), she stated that when they had high unemployment in the 1980s in her home country of the Netherlands, jobs would tend to be for the husband in a household, but this mentality has changed over the years.

Explaining the importance of further implementing laws, she referred to the Opuz case in which the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) made a landmark decision that punished Turkey for failing to provide its citizens with better protection from domestic violence.

Nahide Opuz had applied to the European court in 2002 alleging that Turkish authorities had failed to protect the life of her mother, who was killed by Opuz’s husband, H.O. The court made a historic ruling in June last year fining Turkey 36,500 euros for failing to protect its citizens from domestic violence.

“It is known that legislation is in place but that the judicial system is lacking,” Oomen-Ruijten said.

Regarding the constitutional amendment package that involves a change to Article 10 on gender equality allowing affirmative action for women, she reiterated the importance of applying such changes.

Joining Oomen-Ruijten at the KAGİDER meeting was European Parliament member Sophie In’t Veld from the liberal Democrats 66 (D66) from the Netherlands. “You can have as many clauses in the Constitution, but if you do not prosecute the offenders, you don’t achieve anything,” In’t Veld said.

“The principle to have one breadwinner in a house was a mentality not only in conservative parties but also in social democratic ones,” she added, referring to the Netherlands in the past.

But now they are all required not only to protect but also promote equal opportunity, she also stated.

KAGİDER President Gülseren Onanç said in Turkey, not only the conservative parties but also social democrats show similar attitudes when it comes to women’s rights. Both European Parliament members also supported the quota system for women, and they emphasized the importance of employing women.

“Equality throughout society is one of our principles; it is our goal because we support women. Only 6 million out of 24 million women have jobs,” Oomen-Ruijten said, referring to Turkey, which is well behind European Union standards.

Both European Parliament members have also supported KAGİDER’s “We want to have a job” campaign, and stated that the EU institutions would support their work. “Today we start a mission together, the EU and civil society, to take action and to push for more women in jobs. If a society doesn’t use all men and women, particularly women, they are reducing the capacity of the society,” Oomen-Ruijten said, adding that women also needed to be educated on what their rights are and that women in high-level positions in Turkish society could be used in campaigns to achieve this goal.

‘Kılıçdaroğlu should cooperate with gov’t on reforms’

European Parliament Turkey rapporteur Ria Oomen-Ruijten has expressed hope that newly elected Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will support the government in a bid to introduce a new constitution.

Oomen-Ruijten termed the recent change in the leadership of Turkey’s main opposition party a major switch but had some advice for the new leader. Noting that she hopes Kılıçdaroğlu works with the government on a new constitution, which Turkey urgently needs, Oomen-Ruijten stressed that changing the Constitution is not something the government can do without the support of the opposition and all political actors in the country.

Turkey’s need for a civilian constitution has been voiced on many occasions since 2002, when the AK Party first swept to power. The ruling party spent considerable time and energy to change the existing Constitution, which was drafted under martial law after the bloody 1980 coup d’état. The AK Party’s efforts to draft a new constitution, however, have met with strong resistance from the opposition parties. The government recently passed a constitutional amendment package, and the nation is to vote on the changes in September. The CHP has taken the constitutional reform package to the country’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, for nullification. Kılıçdaroğlu has already signaled that the CHP will continue to oppose the changes.

The rapporteur said the approaching referendum is one of Turkey’s most important issues, adding that all political forces should cooperate on this matter. Dilek Hayırlı/Ayşe Tosun İstanbul