by Liz Ercevik Amado

edited by Nancy L. Pearson

The Human Rights Education Program for Women (HREP)Utilizing state resources to promote women’s human rights in Turkey

A Tactical Notebook published bythe New Tactics Project

of the Center for Victims of Torture

Published byThe Center for Victims of TortureNew Tactics in Human Rights Project717 East River RoadMinneapolis, MN 55455 USAwww.cvt.org, www.newtactics.org

Notebook EditorNancy L. Pearson

Design and copyeditingSusan Everson

© 2005 Center for Victims of TortureThis publication may be freely reproduced in print and in electronic form as long asthis copyright notice appears on all copies.

DisclaimerThe views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect those of the New Tactics in Human Rights Project.The project does not advocate specific tactics or policies.

66

54

The Center for Victims of TortureNew Tactics in Human Rights Project

717 East River RoadMinneapolis, MN 55455 USA

www.cvt.org, www.newtactics.org

Author biography

Letter from the New Tactics Project Director

Introduction

Women’s human rights in Turkey

7How the tactic was developed

8Developing a partnership with a state agency

11Lessons learned: maintaining success

12Obstacles and challenges in partnering with the state

12Supporting women’s multi-level transformation

15Transferring the tactic

16 References

WWHR-New WaysWomen for Women’s Human Rights (WWHR)–New Ways isan independent women’s NGO based in Istanbul, Turkey.WWHR was founded in December 1993, inspired by thesuccess of the international women’s human rights movementat the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna.WWHR–New Ways aims to advance women’s human rightsworldwide, and to support—at national, regional and interna-tional levels—the active and broad participation of women asfree individuals and equal citizens in the establishment andmaintenance of a democratic and peaceful order.

Through a decade of activism, advocacy and lobbying,WWHR–New Ways has contributed significantly to variouslegal reforms in Turkey, networking in Muslim societies andpromotion of women’s human rights at the UN level. OurHuman Rights Education Program for Women, which cel-ebrated its tenth anniversary in 2004, is one of the most wide-spread and comprehensive non-formal human rights educationprograms in the world. WWHR–New Ways has also initiatedand coordinated numerous national campaigns to advancewomen’s human rights and gender equality, including the Cam-paign for the Reform of the Turkish Penal Code (2002–2004),the Campaign for the Reform of the Turkish Civil Code (2000-2001), and the Campaign for the Adoption of a ProtectionOrder Law against Domestic Violence (1997–1998). On theinternational level, WWHR–New Ways has successfullyworked to initiate a network of academicians and NGOs ad-vocating for women’s human rights in Muslim societies. “TheCoalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies,”the first active solidarity network in Muslim societies, advo-cates for the promotion of sexual and reproductive health andrights as human rights. WWHR–New Ways has also activelypartaken in advocacy efforts on the UN level, including theICPD, Beijing and CEDAW processes.

In recognition of its advocacy and lobbying efforts towards theadoption of a protection order law against domestic violencein Turkey, WWHR–New Ways was elected as one of the NGOsworldwide to deliver a statement at the U.N. Global WorldConference in March, 1999. WWHR was also awarded the1999 Leading Solutions Award by the Association for Womenin Development (AWID), in recognition of its contributionsto advancing gender equality and social justice.

WWHR–New Ways employs a strategic multi-pronged ap-proach to promote women's human rights. We combine andemploy a variety of methods in a complementary manner, in-cluding advocacy and lobbying; widespread and sustainablehuman rights education programs for women and varioustrainings; the production and dissemination of awareness-rais-ing materials and publications; action research; and nationaland international networking.

Contact InformationWomen for Women’s Human Rights (WWHR)–New WaysKadinin Insan Haklari – Yeni CozumlerInonu Caddesi Saadet Apt. 37/6 Gumussuyu,Istanbul 34437 TurkeyTelephone: +90 212 251 00 29Fax: +90 212 251 00 65web: www.wwhr.orgemail: newways3@wwhr .org

AcknowledgementsI would like to thank everyone on the Women forWomen’s Human Rights (WWHR)–New Waysteam, in particular Ipek Ilkkaracan, Karin Rongeand Pinar Ilkkaracan, for their contributions andfeedback. I would also like to thank all the train-ers and participants for their invaluable contribu-tions to the Human Rights Training Program forWomen.

Liz Ercevik AmadoLiz Ercevik Amado, from Turkey, holds a B.A. inliterature from Yale University. Since 2002, shehas been the publishing coordinator and a pro-gram officer at Women for Women’s Human Rights(WWHR)–New Ways. She is currently co-coor-dinating the national program and the HumanRights Training Program for Women, developedby WWHR–New Ways in 1995, and is also is theprogram officer for WWHR–New Ways’ interna-tional program to promote sexual, bodily and re-productive rights in Muslim societies.

Liz Ercevik Amado has prepared and edited sev-eral WWHR–New Ways publications, includingSexual and Bodily Rights as Human Rights in theMiddle East and North Africa: A workshop report;Human Rights Training Program for Women (1995–2003) Evaluation Report; and Gender Discrimina-tion in the Turkish Penal Code Draft Law and ProposedAmendments. She also works as a freelance transla-tor and editor, and has translated and edited nu-merous works of fiction, exhibition catalogues andarticles.

July 2005

Dear Friend,

Welcome to the New Tactics in Human Rights Tactical Notebook Series! In each notebook a humanrights practitioner describes an innovative tactic used successfully in advancing human rights. The authorsare part of the broad and diverse human rights movement, including non-government and governmentperspectives, educators, law enforcement personnel, truth and reconciliation processes, and women’s rightsand mental health advocates. They have both adapted and pioneered tactics that have contributed tohuman rights in their home countries. In addition, they have utilized tactics that, when adapted, can beapplied in other countries and situations to address a variety of issues.

Each notebook contains detailed information on how the author and his or her organization achieved whatthey did. We want to inspire other human rights practitioners to think tactically—and to broaden therealm of tactics considered to effectively advance human rights.

In this notebook we learn about how effective and beneficial building collaborative relationships withgovernment institutions can be to advancing human rights education. Women for Women’s HumanRights (WWHR)-New Ways in Turkey gained the support and use of government resources for furtheringhuman rights education of women at the local level. WWHR-New Ways developed a highly successfulhuman rights education curriculum for women but needed an accessible, structured and sustainable wayto reach women in need of learning about their rights. They found and developed an excellent partnershipthrough government run, local level community centers. These community centers offered not onlyprofessional social workers who could be trained by WWHR-New Ways in facilitating the human rightseducation curriculum, but also a safe and accessible place for women to learn about their rights. We hopethis notebook will provide ideas and insights for others as they seek opportunities for building mutuallybeneficial and sustainable relationships with government bodies for furthering human rights efforts.

The entire series of Tactical Notebooks is available online at www.newtactics.org. Additional notebookswill continue to be added over time. On our web site you will also find other tools, including a searchabledatabase of tactics, a discussion forum for human rights practitioners and information about ourworkshops and symposium. To subscribe to the New Tactics newsletter, please send an e-mail tonewtactics@cvt.org.

The New Tactics in Human Rights Project is an international initiative led by a diverse group oforganizations and practitioners from around the world. The project is coordinated by the Center forVictims of Torture (CVT) and grew out of our experiences as a creator of new tactics and as a treatmentcenter that also advocates for the protection of human rights from a unique position-one of healing andreclaiming civic leadership.

We hope that you will find these notebooks informational and thought-provoking.

Sincerely,

Kate Kelsch

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IntroductionSince its pilot application phase in Istanbul shantytownsduring 1995–1996, the Human Rights Education Pro-gram for Women (HREP), developed by WWHR–NewWays, has expanded to 30 cities throughout all regionsof Turkey. More than 4,000 women have participatedin the program, which is currently the most widespreadand comprehensive non-formal human rights educa-tion program in Turkey and in the region.

Within the human rights framework the education pro-gram explores civil, economic, political, sexual, repro-ductive and sexual rights, gender sensitive parenting,children’s rights, and violence against women, with afocus on grassroots organizing and mobilization for so-cial change. And through discussions of women’s hu-man rights and violations in relation to participants’personal experiences, along with workshops on com-munication skills, the program provides the tools to ap-ply the critical consciousness of human rights to life. Inthis program a variety of fields—law, education, gen-der, psychology, personal development and political ac-tivism—intersect within a holistic perspective. Themethodology of the program, with its participatory ap-proach and closed group format, is a major factor inthe success of the program, creating an atmosphere oftrust and solidarity among the women.

To maintain and expand this broad outreach, WWHR–New Ways has utilized state resources to implementthe program in community centers. The tactic, in fact,emerged as a promising collaboration and came to ini-tial success when we signed a protocol with the Gen-eral Directorate of Social Services in 1998 to implementHREP in these centers. Through the protocol, WWHR–

New Ways trains social workers as HREP trainers, andthese trainers implement the program in communitycenters throughout the country.

These government-sponsored and supported commu-nity centers are set up primarily in socio-economicallydisadvantaged areas of Turkey. Unlike many other stateinstitutions, they do not run with a hierarchical top-down structure. By aspiring to cater to the community’sneeds, they provide an appropriate setting for the imple-mentation of HREP. And as they are state institutions,they are much more accessible to women, who facelittle resistance from husbands or families for spendingtime at a community center. The collaboration has thusproved very fruitful in a number of ways.

In this notebook we provide an overview of HREP’s suc-cess in promoting women’s human rights on thegrassroots level and in serving as a catalyst for socialchange, and we explore as well the tactic of utilizingstate resources for human rights education.

Understanding the tactic context:women’s human rights in TurkeySoon after its foundation in 1994-1996 WWHR under-took extensive field action research in Turkey onwomen’s human rights issues. The research was con-ducted in various cities, and included more than 1,500face-to-face interviews with women.

The research revealed that the majority of women hadno awareness of their basic human and legal rights,and that they lacked the knowledge and skills to accessmechanisms to enforce these rights. An enormous gapthus existed between egalitarian laws on paper andthe everyday practices that governed women’s lives.The Human Rights Education Program for Women wasdeveloped as a tool to address these problems. It wasbased on the premise that if women are aware of theirrights as defined in national legislation and interna-tional documents, and are equipped with the knowl-edge and skills to realize these rights, they will be ableto devise their own strategies to overcome the discrimi-nation and human rights violations they face and tobecome active agents of social change.

Unique in its region of the world, Turkey is governed bysecular law. The founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923brought an end to the Ottoman Empire’s system ofparallel 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 Swiss Civil Codeand introduced in 1926, abolished polygamy andgranted women equal rights in matters of divorce, child

People think, she is a woman,she should not see or learn anything, and

her eyes should be veiled. I was not aware that Ihave a personality, that I am myself. I only had duties;

I was only fulfilling my tasks. The concept of shame andprohibitions were ruling my life. During the Women’s Human

Rights Training process, I understood that I am a person, a womanand that I have rights. In the course of the Women’s Human RightsTraining, I learned communication. I had taken other trainings,courses before. Yet, it is with the Women’s Human Rights TrainingProgram that all these trainings formed a whole, the concepts startedto fit in place. During the process, my husband and children alsochanged. They started to appreciate and support me. Both my

daughter and I are very lucky that I have been through thistraining. After the Women’s Human Rights Training I found

myself. I am a citizen, an individual; I exist.

Elif, HREP participant from Istanbul

Promoting women’s human rights in Turkey 7

custody and inheritance. The Turkish Civil Code reformin 2001 abolished the supremacy of men in marriageand established the full equality of men and womenin the family, a result of an extensive national cam-paign by the Turkish women’s movement. Womenin Turkey have had the right to vote and be electedsince 1934. Most recently, the 2004 Turkish PenalCode Reform resulted in major amendments safe-guarding women’s sexual, bodily and reproductiverights, and abolished discrimination against or be-tween virgin, non virgin, married and unmarriedwomen. Many provisions legitimizing women’s hu-man rights violations have been eliminated fromthe new code, another accomplishment of thewomen’s groups.

But despite egalitarian laws on paper and the gains ofwomen in Turkey over the last decade, discriminationagainst women and girls persists. Even with the state’sincreased emphasis on human rights over the last 20years and the impact of the EU ascension process,women’s human rights and full gender equality are stillnot a priority on the state’s agenda or in public policy.

Many women are still confined to roles of the “girl-child,” “wife” or “mother,” restricting their humanrights. Furthermore, many customary practices whichcontradict national legislation and global human rightsnorms continue to dominate women’s lives. Customarypractices such as early and forced marriages, honorcrimes and bride price continue, and patriarchal socialconstructs still infringe on women’s human rights— theright to education, to work, to mobility, and to bodilyand sexual integrity and autonomy.

Although primary education is compulsory in Turkey,official national statistics show that, as of 2000, 19.4percent of women in Turkey are illiterate. Researchconducted by WWHR–New Ways in Umraniye, ashantytown of Istanbul, found that while marriedwomen do not legally require the permission of theirhusbands to work, 50 percent of the married womenliving in Umraniye cannot work because their husbandsdo not allow it. And national statistics reveal thatwomen’s participation in the labor force and politics isvery limited, signifying the challenges to women’s pres-ence in the public sphere. Less than 4 percent of na-tional parliament members are women, and women’sparticipation in the national workforce is as low as 18.5percent in urban Turkey.

Additional field research conducted by WWHR in east-ern and southeastern Turkey in 1996-1997 revealedthat 51 percent of women had been married againsttheir will, despite the law foreseeing mutual consentas a pre-condition for marriage. Even though the Turk-

ish Civil Code foresees equal inheritance rights for menand women, 61 percent of women in eastern Turkeyreport that customary laws prohibit them from inherit-ing anything.

WWHR–New Ways developed the Human Rights Edu-cation Program for Women to create a comprehensivebackground for women’s human rights issues and legalrights in Turkey, at the same time building a criticalconsciousness to enable women to realize their rightsand put these rights into practice in everyday life, bothin private and public spheres.

How the tactic was developed:Beginnings, 1995–1998The first pilot implementation of HREP took place dur-ing 1995–1996 in Umraniye, a shantytown area inIstanbul to which a large number of people migrate,and was in cooperation with the Umraniye Women’sCenter, the only grassroots women’s NGO in Istanbul atthe time. WWHR provided trainer trainings and super-visions, and the feedback from participants and train-ers was very positive. The preconceived notions thatpoverty would be an obstacle to the realization of hu-man rights, and that women would not be drawn tothe program, were both proven wrong.

A second pilot implementation was conducted in south-eastern Turkey, and at the same time the success ofthe first pilot inspired us to develop a training manual.A team of five experts from different academic back-grounds prepared the extensive publication. Themanual, targeting HREP trainers, includes background

I am the first female child whowent to school in my family. I finished pri-

mary school but I was not allowed to go to middleschool. My family got me married to my uncle’s son. All my

life I could not even walk out the door when I wanted. I discov-ered the Women’s Human Rights Training Program after I had my

sixth child. Then both my family life and social life changed. I started totalk about this training and about our rights with every woman I knew. I sawthat you have your own rights, as a woman, as a mother, and that you have theright to know about these rights. We started working as a group after theWomen’s Human Rights Training. When we first started this job, we did noteven have a studio; we were making the candles at home. Then we rented a smallstore. In the past, I was hardly able to leave the house, but now I am talkingabout making connections with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, theDirectorate of Cultural Affairs, the City Directorate, and private firms. Ourgoal is to promote the social and economic status and awareness of women

in Diyarbak?r. We aim to bring women into the production process andtake them out of the home. I pushed the door open, I have a job, I

have a group of people I work with, we have goals and plans, andhere I am in Istanbul representing my group.

Museyyer, a participant from Diyarbakir,Southeastern Turkey

8

information, activities and guidelines foreach of the 16 modules, with accompanyinginstructions for trainers and an appendix foreach section containing information sheetsfor participants. Published in 1998, it hasbeen supplemented by a number of resourcematerials, including It’s Time to Say No, avideo on domestic violence produced byWWHR; the We Have Rights series, informa-tive illustrated booklets on women’s legal,reproductive and sexual rights that are di-rected at low-literacy women; and action re-search articles by WWHR–New Ways.

But despite the positive feedback from par-ticipants on how HREP transformed theirlives, as well as the program’s sound con-tent—developed and elaborated over timein response to participant responses—wefaced difficulty finding the means to expandand sustain the program. HREP was a 16-week comprehensive program, conductedwith intense supervision, and group facilita-tors had to be intensively trained to leadgroups and understand gender perspective.Ensuring that the program could be sustainedrequired immense effort, time and resourcesfrom WWHR. Collaboration with NGOs alsolimited the scope of the program to largercities, and our partner NGOs faced fundingproblems that made it difficult to implementthe program. Furthermore, our partnerNGOs lacked the human resources qualifiedto conduct intensive grup work and the qual-ity of the program was difficult to establishand maintain.

Facing the challenge ofsustainability: developinga partnership witha state agencyWhile seeking a solution to the problems ofand expansion, we found that the GeneralDirectorate of Social Services was establish-ing community centers throughout Turkey.Although a state-NGO partnership, particu-larly with a feminist organization, was not atall common at the time, the Director of SocialServices—a progressive social worker him-self—expressed interest in HREP.

Before moving forward, we researched and evaluatedthe pros and cons of such a partnership. We werepleased to discover that the centers are set up prima-rily in disadvantaged areas, are not run as hierarchicaltop-down institutions, and respond to community needs.

Top: HREP group in Van, Eastern Anatolia.Center and bottom: A workshop during HREPTrainer Training, Istanbul, 2002.

Promoting women’s human rights in Turkey 9

We determined, then, that they provided a very appro-priate setting for the implementation of HREP. Theyare also very accessible to the women we are trying toreach, as husbands and families are rarely resistant tothe idea of spending time at a community center.

Another advantage of the collaboration, obvious fromthe outset, was that we would be able to train commu-nity social workers—who already possessed the educa-tional and vocational background for the participatorygroup work with disadvantaged groups—as HREP train-ers. Working in the centers equipped these staff mem-bers with knowledge of women in the community andtheir needs. And because the social workers remainedon staff at the centers, women participating in the pro-gram could return after its completion for on-goingsupport. Illustrating the partnership’s reciprocal ben-efits, trainers have found HREP to be very useful intheir work, and HREP participants have themselvesbecome actively involved in their community centers.

The existence of these community centers throughoutTurkey helped us meet the challenge of expansion. In1998 we signed a protocol with the General Director-ate, and as it applied to all centers, it was feasible forus to identify new centers and recruit new trainers.Approximately 115 social workers have been trainedas trainers in the five sessions conducted by WWHRsince 1998. As of 2004, the program has been imple-mented in 30 provinces spanning all seven geographicregions of Turkey, in over 45 centers, and has reachedmore than 4,000 women. It is the only comprehensive,non-formal human rights education program in Turkeywith such wide outreach.

Our collaboration with the General Directorate of So-cial Services began at a time when a majority socialdemocrat coalition was in government, the state minis-try heading social services was led by a minister fromthe social democrat party, and the appointed directorof social services was an expert in the field and had asocial democrat profile. As such, the administration andthe decision makers looked favorably on the partner-ship.

Meanwhile, the General Directorate was just startingto establish the community centers, with the directorof social services spearheading the initiative. Seekingprograms that would support and enhance the cen-ters’ activities, he was excited when we approachedhim about HREP, and interested to hear how wethought the program could contribute to center objec-tives. It was crucial that HREP had already been verysuccessful in the pilot implementations and that theprogram was in a fully matured state with written and

visual training materials, including a 300-page trainer’smanual.

The signing of the protocol was thus a product of boththoughtful strategies and favorable circumstances. Inestablishing a partnership with the state it was crucialto take advantage of a relatively progressive politicalclimate and identify the right individuals with whom toinitiate such collaboration. And in order to ensure abroad outreach, it was essential to sign the protocol

I started to discuss with my family and friends the thingswe have talked about and learned in the Women’s HumanRights Training; I was also trying to put these things intopractice. After the training I regained my self-confidence. Ilearned that I also have rights, and that I can use theserights. I realized there is no such thing as having to doeverything my husband tells me. Today, my ideas and deci-sions are also taken seriously. When necessary, I argue withmy husband, criticize him, even snap at him. My relationwith the household has also started to change. Now theyrespect me, value my thoughts, and help out with the housechores. I have made it my goal to be useful first of all tomyself, then to my community. Not everyone comes to getthis training. Thus I am doing my best to inform the oth-ers. It is definitely great that the Women’s Human RightsTraining is being offered here in the Onur neighborhood,yet the process of changing our people is a slow one, ittakes time. I was not always such an initiating, outgoingwoman who knew her rights. As I said, my self-confidenceenhanced after the Women’s Human Rights Training Pro-gram.

I have friends who have experienced domestic violence. Iexplain to them that they have rights and that they candefend these rights. Some of them have gone to the policestation for help. However, the police officer there toldthese women “spouses have fights and then they make up,we cannot interfere” and sent them back home. The policehave certain responsibilities; the woman should be sent tothe hospital for instance, she should see a doctor. Every-body should be informed about the duties and responsi-bilities of the police station. Since we did not know ourrights as women, we could not defend them either. Thissituation changed after the Women’s Human Rights Train-ing Program. Now I go to the police station with my friendswho were subjected to domestic violence, and I tell theofficers there “You people have to do something about thisin here; we will demand what is rightfully ours; and youshould be guiding us.” Now I talk to them in this manner.Today, the officers at the police station are more aware oftheir own responsibilities.

Cemile, HREP participant

10

with the central govern-ing agency; this allowedus to obtain one com-prehensive permissionfor our work ratherthan individual permis-sions for each center.Also crucial was ouragreement on the provi-sions of the protocol (i.e.its time span); on our con-trol of the content, implemen-tation, and monitoring of theprogram; and on how HREP wouldbe integrated into the centers’ programsfrom the outset.

Following the signing of the protocol, HREP’s outreachbroadened rapidly. As WWHR–New Ways we conductedintensive ten-day trainer trainings (in 1998, 1998, 2000,and 2002) with selected groups of social workers whothen implemented the program in the field on an on-going basis. The scope of the program expanded in thisway, and through time and experience it became moreinstitutionalized.

Through years of implementation, feedback fromgroups and trainers, and perpetual evaluation byWWHR–New Ways, HREP is now conceptualized in thefollowing five phases.

PHASE I:DEVELOPING THE PARTNERSHIP PROTOCOLThe initial step of this phase is particularly crucial: iden-tifying the appropriate partner and devising a strategyfor a sustainable collaboration. In our case, retainingthe program’s quality and making certain it reachedthe target population was as important as ensuringsustainabilty and expansion. The vision of the GeneralDirectorate of Social Services at the time thereforeturned out to be very suitable for us. Our long-termpartnership with a state agency in local state institu-tions brought a kind of legitimacy to the program, butwe were also able to retain complete autonomy andmonitoring power over program content and imple-mentation.

Access to the community centers and social workers viathe protocol also contributed significantly to HREP, al-lowing us to reach both reaching trainers and the tar-get groups. With the program integrated into theservices of the community centers, we also had accessto appropriate and sufficient space and resources. 1In a closed group process, participants are selected at the beginning

and no new members are admitted during the pre-determined timeperiod set for the process. Open group processes allow new membersto be admitted, and usually are conducted with open-ended timeperiods as well.

I was born and raised in Sivas (a city in EasternTurkey). Our society, our elders, including my own

mother, taught us that we, girls and women, are alwayssecond-class citizens. When we moved to Çanakkale (a city

in North Western Turkey), I participated in the Women’s Hu-man Rights Training Program. During the training, I started torecognize myself primarily as a woman and definitely not as asecond-class person. Acknowledging myself as a woman, a humanbeing and an individual had huge effects on my relations with myfamily, my social circle. Most important of all, this acknowledg-ment affected my self-reflection. I became a confident, more

liberated woman and person. I decided I wanted to have aprofession. I wanted to find a job to meet my own needs

and desires.

Senay, HREP participantfrom Canakkale

PHASE II: TRAINERTRAININGIn this phase theWWHR–New Waysteam trains socialworkers and otherpotential trainers,

each of whom is care-fully selected. The Gen-

eral Directorate firstidentifies candidates from

the social workers at thecommunity centers; candidates

can also be recommended by ex-isting trainers. We review this list, con-

duct phone interviews with candidates, andobtain references from other trainers and the direc-torate. Our criteria include a willingness to implementHREP on a long-term and continuous basis, a stronginterest in human rights and women’s rights issues, andexperience conducting group sessions. Following the in-terviews we finalize the list of participants for thetrainer training.

The ten-day training is a condensed application of HREP,and also includes sessions on facilitation, communica-tion, feminism and other topics. Through first-hand ex-perience as group participants, the trainers areacquainted with the program’s subject 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 their train-ing in their own community centers. When they receivetheir trainer’s certificate at the conclusion of the train-ing, they are eligible to implement HREP on the locallevel. They are also expected to make a commitmentto implement HREP in the field, on average completingtwo groups per year.

PHASE III: FIELD IMPLEMENTATIONCertified trainers form HREP groups at community cen-ters, creating closed groups1 of 20–30 local women. Eachgroup meets once a week, for 16 weeks, in half-daysessions on different modules, and participants whocomplete the program receive certificates. WWHR sup-plies the groups with training materials, sends amonthly newsletter to link them with each other,WWHR and with the national and international women’smovements, and provides supervision and supportthrough site visits and telephone conversations.

Promoting women’s human rights in Turkey 11

PHASE IV: MONITORING AND EVALUATIONMonitoring and evaluation are an integral part of HREPimplementation. WWHR organizes periodic evaluationmeetings with trainers, in addition to field supervisionvisits. We also conduct trainings on recent legal reformsand current human rights issues, and update and dis-seminate our training material accordingly.

PHASE V: WOMEN’S GRASSROOTS ORGANIZINGINITIATIVES EMERGING FROM HREPOne of HREP’s ultimate objectives is to serve as a cata-lyst for change, mobilizing women to act together andhelping them organize on a grassroots level to promotetheir own self-identified needs. These collective effortsenable a more sustainable and effective means to pro-mote human rights. More than 15 local initiatives in tencities have emerged so far. To support this work, WWHR–New Ways links participants with other local and na-tional groups, provides support and advice onnetworking, fundraising, and capacity building, and helpsgroups integrate into the national women’s movement.We also organize regional meetings and trainings foremerging grassroots organizations.

LESSONS LEARNED: MAINTAINING SUCCESSHREP’s success rests on a number of complementaryfactors related to both the program’s methodology andits content.

First, the holistic and comprehensive nature of the pro-gram—reflecting the indivisibility of human rights—pro-vides a substantial framework in which to promote thehuman rights of women. And because violations ofwomen’s human rights often occur hand-in-hand withdiscrimination, a comprehensive program such as oursalso enables women to overcome the discriminationthey face in different spheres.

The program’s participatory nature, allowing womento explore their human rights through personal experi-ences, gives room to link universal concepts and na-tional legislation with private situations and concerns.The length of the program allows participants to de-velop a feeling of solidarity, and to reach an under-standing that the violations and discrimination they faceare not unique to themselves—that they are not alonein their struggle to realize their rights.

The weekly meetings and 16-module program also al-low women to internalize the knowledge and skills theygain. They have the time and space to apply what they

I was sent as a bride to my relatives. They were living in avillage, Karaköçen in Elaz??. It was a desolated place, not oneneighbor within sight. When we moved to Izmir, I went to theCommunity Center because I was experiencing domestic vio-lence. There I started to participate in the Women's HumanRights Training Program. Throughout the fifteen years of mymarriage, I endured the physical oppression of my husbandand his family.

At work I heard about the activities in the Community Centerand came here. I participated in the Women's Human RightsTraining. During this training, I started to put up a fight againstmy husband. In the course of the training I heard about humanrights, the Purple Roof Foundation for Women's Shelters. Ilearned that women have rights too. I said, I have rights, and Ido not deserve this violence. I have been married for twentyyears and for the last five I have been living like a lady. Istruggled to bring about this change myself; I changed hereduring the Women's Human Rights Training.

My husband is not the only cause of the violence I suffered; itis related to his surroundings, it is about the whole society.People are influenced by their surroundings. As we talked withmy husband, in time everything in our relationship changed.Now, my husband says, "I am proud of you". I ask him, howcome you are proud of me now and not when I was doing

everything you told me, and not resisting your abuses? Heunderstood that I am defending my pride as a woman. He evenvisited our Women's Human Rights Training group of tenwomen, and said, "I am proud of my wife, what I have done iswrong".

After the Women's Human Rights Training, my children and Ihave better communication. We experience beautiful thingswith my husband. For two years now, he has not touched a hairon my head. To me the old days seem like scenes from a movie.I do not even cry when I recall those times, because I can notbelieve that I actually lived all those things. If I had the mindthat I do now, I would not stand any of that. I would have left,ran away. But I did not know anything then, I was alone.

Now everything is different. I want to live. My husband re-spects me as a human being, as a woman. I want to partake inevery activity that I can, I want to travel. I want to startworking again; I am looking for a job. I have been boredbecause I was unemployed for the last year and a half. Never-theless, I am peaceful. Because there is no more violence. Mychildren are growing up in a good environment. There is noshouting, no beating, and no blood. I am a different womannow.

Halise, HREP participan

12

acquire in HREP,and to sharethe results.The groupprocess al-lows themto expresstheir indi-vidual expe-riences and

needs, whileacquiring a

consciousnessof the inherent

connection be-tween their individual

experiences and the hu-man rights 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 realization that their problemsare rooted not in private issues, but in social ones.

As women search for strategies to apply their newknowledge to their lives, they receive support from boththe trainer and their fellow participants. They developcommon tactics to deal with negative responses fromothers and to prevent common human rights violationsin their communities, and they become conscious of theimportance of organized action. Since the program pro-vides time for women to experience changes in theirown attitudes and actions, they are able to evaluatesuch changes within the group and share obstacles andsuccesses throughout. The empowerment process isgradual and substantial, since there is the opportunityto transfer awareness between the group discussionsand everyday life and practice.

Our partnership with Social Services and the commu-nity centers has also contributed significantly to thesuccess of the program, ensuring its expansion andsustainability, and allowing us to train qualified socialworkers as trainers. Participants are able to return tothe community centers and trainers for further sup-port, and the venues help strengthen relationships withother women and the community. Even at the locallevel, then, the program does not take place in avacuum.

The dedication of the trainers has also been a greatmotivation, and their efforts to involve professionalssuch as police, teachers, and midwives have further ex-tended the impact of the program.

Finally, HREP’s success is connected as well to the closemonitoring and supervision provided by WWHR–NewWays. While participants feel that they are part of alarger struggle for women’s human rights, they are alsoable to obtain support and capacity building on a locallevel. WWHR–New Ways acts as an equal partnerthrough the training and grassroots organizing process,providing participants and groups the space to act, toorganize, and to devise their own strategies accordingto their own needs.

Obstacles and challenges inpartnering with the stateDespite the overall success of HREP and positive feed-back from trainers and participants, maintaining thesustainability and momentum of such an extensive pro-gram over a decade has been challenging. We have, forinstance, faced a change in the administration of SocialServices, with new government staff and new socialworkers appointed to key posts. We have also beenchallenged to motivate our state partners to ensurethe continuation of the program, and to continue fill-ing the program’s need for significant human and fi-nancial resources. Another major challenge we face isthat social services is understaffed and social workersare overwhelmed by their workload, but the high moti-vation and dedication of trainers to the program helpsto face this challenge.

Sustaining and expanding HREP and its partnership withthe state has been a particular challenge. The program’simpact on the local level, however—the transforma-tion it creates in participants, the enthusiasm it raisesin trainers, and the contributions it makes in the com-munity centers—has been a driving force, helping theprogram survive through changes in government andadministration. The good relationships we maintain withthe mid-level bureaucrats at the General Directoratewho are in charge of the central coordination of theCommunity Centers have led them to stand up for theprogram, and we have made sure to establish opencommunication with newly appointed directors to sus-tain the partnership.

The financial and physical resources contributed 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 description,the program utilizes the human resources of the state.The centers also provide space for the program, andthe General Directorate pays for the photocopying ofextra training materials. Therefore, even thoughWWHR–New Ways is primarily responsible for the fi-nancial cost, implementation and monitoring, the Gen-eral Directorate and community centers activelypartake in and contribute to the program.

We live in the capital city butwe are not aware of what goes on in this

country. In our day, we could not defend ourown rights; we were brought up in ignorance. I do

not want my daughter, my son or my daughter-in-law toexperience what I have lived through. I have to make this

happen. I have seen that through the Women’s Human RightsTraining Program. I have changed my husband as well; but it is

not only my husband, our society has to change. And this willhappen in time. And most important of all, I now live formyself. I had not recognized my own individual existence,desires; I had forgotten about the people out there and howto talk to them. Now I travel and talk to my heart’s desire,

and I write freely, without fear.

Turkan, a participant from Ankara, CentralAnatolia

Promoting women’s human rights in Turkey 13

Tactic results: Supporting women’smulti-level transformation

PERSONAL AND FAMILY IMPACTWhile it is not common for organizations to commissionexternal evaluations of their programs, we thoughtthat such research would equip us with more concretefeedback on HREP. An external evaluation of HREP wasconducted in 2002 with approximately 20 percent ofparticipants, and revealed that the transformationwomen experienced occurred on many levels.

The evaluation indicated, for example, that participat-ing in HREP increased self-confidence in 93 percent ofrespondents, while 90 percent reported growth in theirproblem-solving abilities. In focus group discussions,these results were often articulated as being able torecognize oneself as an individual with human rightsand to pursue solutions to problems.

Relationships within the family also transformedgreatly. While 72 percent of the participants reportedthat the attitudes of their husbands towards them im-

proved, 93 percent reported that their own attitudestowards their children improved, in particular with re-gards to gender-sensitive parenting. Seventy-four per-cent stated that they now had greater say in familydecision-making processes.

Another significant finding was the extent to whichwomen were able to stop or decrease violence in theirlives. Sixty-three percent of the women who had faceddomestic violence before the training reported theywere able to stop it, and 22 percent were able to re-duce it. Many women also began to work (30 percent)or returned to pursue their formal or informal educa-tion (54 percent) after the training program.

COMMUNITY IMPACT:HREP as a source and tool for grassroots organizinginitiativesThe research also clarified HREP’s impact in the largercommunity. Eighty-eight percent of the women whoparticipated in the program reported that they hadbecome resource people in their communities, provid-ing guiding and advice to other women.

Top: HREP Evaluation and Grassroots Organizing Meeting withTrainers, 2003.Bottom: Opening Ceremony of the Women’s Counselling Center inCanakkale, founded by HREP participants after the program, 2002.

Top: First HREP Trainer Training Closing Ceremony, 1998.Bottom: HREP Group in Izmit, Northwestern Anatolia.

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A major outcome of HREP has been the emergence oflocal grassroots women’s organizations. Since collectiveaction and mobilization for social change remains oneof the program’s central objectives, the fact that somany local initiatives have emerged from the programconstitutes a major success. WWHR–New Ways has con-tinuously supported these groups over the years, asthey signify the broader impact of HREP on local andnational levels.

These grassroots initiatives display a range of diverseaims and structures stemming from local needs andpriorities. Some are geared towards women’s economicempowerment, while others focus on activities thatraise community consciousness and support for localwomen. And some combine economic, social, and/orpolitical activities topromote women’s hu-man rights. Women inDiyarbakir, for ex-ample, the most eco-n o m i c a l l ydisadvantaged regionof Turkey, have estab-lished a Candle Produc-tion Atelier in whichthey produce hand-made candles and sellthem to local storesand a national super-market chain. Theyalso manage a publickindergarten inDiyarbakir.

The women workingon emerging initiativessuch as these sharetheir experiences andresources with oneother. Women fromCanakkale, for in-stance, have receivedtraining on recycledpaper production fromthe Purple Paper Pro-duction Atelier inOkmeydani Istanbul,and have started theirown atelier. Many ofthe initiatives (Ankara,Canakkale, Edirne,Aydin) work in collabo-ration with their localcommunity centers, ac-tively contributing to

the management of the centers, providing counselingand support services for women, and raising funds forthe centers.

Most emerging groups organize series of consciousness-raising activities, reach out to women in their commu-nities, and take action around community issues.Women at the Gazi District in Istanbul have foundedthe Kybele Cooperative, and, in conjunction with theireconomic activities, run a local campaign to establish akindergarten. Women who have participated in theprogram in Van have established the first women’s as-sociation in Eastern Anatolia, and a women’s counsel-ing and training center.

Top: HREP Participants in 8th of March Demon-strations with WWHR–New Ways Team.Bottom: Cities throughout Turkey where HREP hasbeen implemented.

Promoting women’s human rights in Turkey 15

Once we completed theWomen’s Human Rights Training

Program, we immediately moved to or-ganize among ourselves, as a group of par-

ticipants. We decided to put into practice thethings we have learned during the training and to

implement our rights and to be a part of the women’smovement in Turkey. As women, we experience dis-crimination in our own lives and see it happen toother women around us. We have to fight againstthis discrimination against women. We realized thatit is necessary to be organized as a group in order tosucceed. Thus we decided to acquire a legal identityand form an association. We aim to ensure that the

women in Canakkale actively participate in thesocial, economic and political spheres. Our ul-

timate objective is to put an end to the vio-lence against women.

Gulay, participant from Canakkale,West Turkey

One of the best examples of grassroots organizingemerging from the program, the Association forWomen’s Labour in Canakkale, began as an associationto promote women’s economic and political empower-ment. Over the years its members have held extensivetrainings, conferences, and workshops on women’s hu-man rights issues, and have established great influencein the local governance. In 2003 they opened a Women’sCounseling Center, and in 2005 they hosted the EighthNational Women’s Shelter and Counseling Center Sum-mit, bringing together women’s NGOs from through-out Turkey.

The grassroots initiatives emerging from the programdemonstrate the transformative nature of the programfor both individuals and communities. After participat-ing in the program, women are able to stand up to-gether for their rights, to challenge and eliminatediscrimination against themselves in a wide range ofcontexts, and to promote women’s human rights andequality on local and national levels. Grassroots NGOsand initiatives that emerge from the program affirmthe solidarity between women and extend it to thepublic sphere, transforming the web of local power 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 widespread human rightstraining program have proven successful on numerouslevels. As well as transforming women’s lives on a per-sonal basis, HREP has also resulted in collective mobili-zation for social change and the realization of humanrights for women.

To implement such a tactic, you need to extensivelyassess the needs and the feedback of your target group.Doing so will give you credibility, itself a crucial andpowerful foundation for engaging and developing part-nerships with state agencies. Ideas for ensuring thatyour program is widespread and sustainable will behelpful as well. Keep in mind, however, that the agencyand the individuals you approach must be carefully se-lected in order to ensure fruitful cooperation. With thefrequent shifts in power and politics found in state bu-reaucracies, this relationship must be continually fos-tered, nurtured and developed.

In terms of initiating a partnership and envisioning itscontinuity, you must pay great attention to the provi-sions in the protocol—the signing of an official partner-ship agreement—and to each area of cooperation andcollaboration. You should be certain that the protocolincludes the following: 1) provisions that ensure a longtime span—beyond the current administrator; 2) clear

conditions for annul-ment or alterations bythe government; and3) clear and set obli-gations for eachparty. An essentialcondition of ourpartnership, forexample, was en-suring that thecontent of the hu-man rights educa-tion program couldnot be altered andthat the programmust be continuouslyimplemented by trainers.

Collaboration with a stateagency requires longstanding, closeand continuous relationships with head-quarters at the national level and with trainers at thelocal one. These relationships must be continuously main-tained, and strengthened over time. We found thatcoming together in meetings, social events and awardsceremonies was useful in enhancing dialogue and rela-tionships.

To implement a long-term and sustainable human rightseducation program, it is essential to sustain the dyna-mism of the program and the motivation of its groups.This requires a process for constantly revising and up-dating the program according to current needs and par-ticipant feedback, and for reviewing objectives andstrategies.

WWHR–New Ways’ experience with HREP has indicatedthat the program is a very important and useful tool inpromoting women’s human rights on personal and col-lective levels, in both private and public spheres.

Our partnership with a state agency has created abroad and sustainable outreach for the program, con-tributing to its impact on the local level. Despite thechallenges, the past decade of HREP has shown thatsuch a partnership can be highly beneficial and produc-tive for all parties involved. We have also been able toprove that, when provided with the necessary skills,knowledge and support, women are able to mobilizefor their rights and social change. Through HREP,women have been able to exercise their rights as hu-man beings, individuals, citizens and members of orga-nizations.

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ReferencesAmado Liz E. and Ilkkaracan P., “Human Rights Educa-tion as a Tool of Grassroots Organizing and Social Trans-formation: A case study from Turkey,” InterculturalEducation Journal, forthcoming.

Ilkkaracan, I., Ilkkaracan, P. “Kuldan Yurtta?a: KadinlarNeresinde?’ (From Subjects to Citizens: Where are theWomen?), in Bilanco 98: 75 Yilda Tebaa'dan YurttasaDogru (From Subjects to Citizens in 75 Years of TurkishRepublic). Istanbul: Tarih Vakf?,´1998.

Ilkkaracan, I., Ilkkaracan, P., et al. Human Rights Educa-tion for Women: A training manual. Istanbul: Womenfor Women’s Human Rights–New Ways. 2003.

Ilkkaracan, P. “Exploring the Context of Sexuality inTurkey,” Reproductive Health Matters, 6 (12), Novem-ber 1998, 66–75.

Kardam, Nuket. WWHR–New Ways Women’s HumanRights Training Program 1995–2003: Evaluation Report.Istanbul: Women for Women’s Human Rights–NewWays. 2003.

Republic of Turkey Prime Ministry State Institute of Sta-tistics (SIS), “Turkiye'de Kadin Bilgi Agi” (Women’s In-formation Network in Turkey), <http://www.die.gov.tr/tkba/t098.xls> (20 April 2005).