“We will support equality not discrimination”

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The Women’s Time Association was established in Istanbul in July 2020. They aim to eliminate all kinds of discrimination against women and contribute to women’s empowerment.

Women’s Time (Dema Jinan) has stated its goals in a podcast; 

Our goals are to contribute to and support the Istanbul Convention, fight against all types of violence, work for gender equality in social and economic terms, empower women in all areas of life, and increase the visibility of women’s work.

In this regard, we spoke with a member of the Women’s Time Association, Berivan Saruhan, about their association’s works, activities in the civil area, and violence against women.

Women’s Time addresses Kurdish investigations

Berivan Saruhan says that they have been conducting their investigation in both Kurdish and Turkish.

Of course, this is our difference; There are many women’s institutions in Istanbul that have counseling and support centers, but our specialty/difference is more about the problems of Kurdish women and those who cannot express themselves well in other institutions, express their problems in their language. We work in this context and this is our field of work.

Berivan Saruhan

Women who are subjected to violence reach our website through people from the association, women’s/civil institutions, and social media, but apart from these, they contact us more often through people or institutions that we know.

Berivan Saruhan

“We present them to the solution mechanisms”

Women who are abused by men turn to the center of the association to find ways to find solutions.

Berivan Saruhan informs that they provide mental, legal and social support and show them the ways to deal with the problem of separation, financial, physical and mental violence, etc.

We help women who come here for their problems in this way, if they need psychological support, we contact psychologists, if they need a lawyer, we recommend them to lawyers through the association network of the law commission.

“Our works are more in the field”

We carry out our work more in the field. We want to inform women who want to access their sexual health, and their fundamental rights.

Also, Saruhan says that their work in the field is increasing more and more and they are going wherever Kurdish women are, and they are giving awareness activities and workshops to women.  

Let our voice spread on all sides of the world 

Member of Woman’s Time Association Berivan Saruhan ends her speech with a memory;

“Forthcoming of March 8, I want to say this; Ezniva Rashid has been a presenter on Yerevan Radio for 27 years and I don’t remember the exact date, I read it on a website before March 8. One day on March 8, she publishes a text and congratulates Kurdish women, the words that remain are: “Sing loudly and loudly my girlfriends about our happy lives to the Kurds… Let your voice spread on all sides of the world ” 

I was very excited about this statement that she said on March 8 on Yerevan Radio, and the same feelings are still going on. I hope that our voice and color can be heard more and that our voice will be spread all over the world.”

This news was translated by Yonca Sarsilmaz