ISTANBUL: Our Founder Director Kiran Nazish and Turkey Coordinator Damla Tarhan met with Turkey’s democratic party CHP’s women wing in Kadıköy, Istanbul.
The meeting was part of a series of assignments and activities set-up as part of the CFWIJ’s delegation to Turkey this month. The CHP’s women council indulged in a warm welcome to the CFWIJ, and many of their members participated in the discussion.
The CFWIJ and the CHP’s women council discussed possibilities of collaboration. The prime method of a partnership between the two would revolve around awareness building for the issues women journalists face in the country.
The chairman of CHP Kadikoy Gender Council Canan Murtezaoğlu and councillor Dr. Ayfer Yazkan Kubal shared their vision and work that aims to enhance the status of gender and human rights. The CFWIJ shared our support projects and advocacy work with the women in the council. We discussed ideas about how to create a better and more safe environment for women journalists in Turkey.
Our founder Kiran Nazish said, “We believe that it is very important to understand that gender equality and press freedom combined, are of utmost importance for a democracy. To strive for free press and a thriving environment for women in the press should be of high priority to all democracies, including Turkey.”
Dr. Ayfer Yazkan Kubal said, the public should know how women journalists work. She pointed to the work of the coalition in this regard saying, “This network is very important because The Coalition For Women In Journalism serves as an umbrella organization for women in Turkey and abroad.” She shared some wonderful ideas about how women journalists can work safely and effectively and said it is urgent to improve the status of women in the industry.
“If we consider that the BBC did not have female news anchor until 1970s, this struggle is really new,” she noted, referring to the work of the CFWIJ, appreciating the collaborative approach of the Coalition. “What makes a struggle successful is having such a solidarity.”
She added, “It needs to be the state’s vision to have equality for all citizens and it begins with education. It is also important that the society and government appreciate good journalism.”
We are delighted to observe the CHP’s understanding and interest in working with the Coalition on issues women journalists are facing in the country. We look forward to this collaboration. The CFWIJ Delegation to Turkey is aimed at building new partnerships with news organization, relevant individuals and orgs working on gender or journalism, public representatives and other stakeholders. These partnerships we hope will help us build a collaborative environment in the country, with the goal of making journalism a safe and thriving industry for women journalists.
