Number of people preferring to live alone and nursing home for old people has risen, marriage rates have decreased contrary to increasing divorce rates, to have child has become a demand which is consistently postponed.
Both national and international mechanisms should have multi-dimensional services, and must act with family focused policies to prevent families’ sufferings much more because of these and other issues. And it's necessary that family should be supported and strengthened to solve these problems; because family is a unique societal instruction with its function of solving problems.
While creating family focused social policies, Turkey, gives prominent importance to protect sui generis features of present family structure and to strengthen dynamics supporting it.
Thus, our Constitution defined family as a basic unit of society and ensures responsibilities of government related family institution by pointing out this situation.
The framework of our responsibilities related to family is determined by primary laws such as Turkish Civil Law and Turkish Criminal Law along with our Constitution.
In this context, we are of the opinion that it is important to streets Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women related to the family in all cultures. Because the creation of the awareness of the gender equality in family where the human become social firstly, will be absolutely reflected absolutely in all other units.
Dear President, Dear Participants,
We are agree with World Family Organization about the family's key role for social stability, societal development and national power; the necessity of increasing life standards of family, developing and empowering its individual opportunities.
Thus, we carefully follow up World Family Summits, being held by different countries regularly since 2004. We feel great honor to become host country of World Family Summit +5 to be held in Istanbul between 4 to 7 December 2009.
The heading of this Summit was determined as “Families in Balance: Gender Equality and empowerment of the women” considering the theme of “Current global and national trends and challenges and their impact on Gender Equality and empowerment of the women”. This theme was considered correspondingly 2010 working theme of UN High-Level Segment of ECOSOC.
Dear President, Dear Participants,
Reducing gender inequality and empowering the women are very powerful tools to reduce poverty and achieve high levels of well-beings of families in all cultures and societies around the world.
Owing to this reason, for the prevention of the Gender inequality deeply rooted in entrenched attitudes, societal institutions and market forces, political commitments at the highest international and national levels, and especially, actions at the local level are essential.
Policies have to be created, measures have to be taken, and applications have to be performed related to the decreasing the vulnerabilities of women in all areas like education, health, work life, social security, political life and individual security and becoming able to use their capacity and potential in society. WFS+5, international platform, will create an opportunity for politicians, judicial representatives and national and local NGOs to debate on this theme.
Gender parity in access to schooling is an important step towards Gender Equality and Family well-being in education
Although there have been rapid developments in education field all over the world, issue of the education of women is still an important problem area in many areas of the world.
However women's training, facilitates active participation of women in the process of integration with the world via the contribution being made to her development and economic wellbeing, will give the way to the acquisitions for the primary societal requirements such as child upbringing, family welfare.
The new Turkish Civil Code being entered into force on 1 January 2002 is a regulation considering the gender equality, ending the sex discrimination, making women equal with men in society, evaluating the women’s work.
All of the laws, statutes, regulations and similar legal arrangements being prepared related to mentioned law are shaped in a way that covers all of our citizens without making gender discrimination.
In 1997 the duration of compulsory education was raised to 8 years, an important decline has been considered in the maternal and child mortality rates, the rate of women literacy has been increased by literacy courses.
Moreover, various kinds of projects have been implemented for providing our girls and women’s, the mothers in the future, with the benefit of taking advantage of education as a basic human right.
Dear President, Dear Participants,
To acknowledge the women and the girls about the reproductive sexual and health issues plays an important role in improvement of their capacity and their control over their futures.
Regarding to improve maternal health and diminish vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections, it is broadly known that educated women including sexual and reproductive education have more probability to deal positively with this issue.
Mother-child health and family planning services have been priorities in the policies of our governments in our country.
In “9th Development Program”, for the 2007-2013 periods, it is mentioned that the quality of health services will be improved by giving the primacy to mother-child health.
In this direction, reduction of barriers of accessing to health services, for social segments that are exposed to poverty and social exclusion, especially for the disabled, the elder, women, children and immigrants, is being targeted.
In addition, financial aids are being provided to patients that will receive treatment services of in vitro fertilization by government. In this context, 109 treatment centers that help to produce are working by 2009 may.
Considering the importance of generalization of women health services and increases in the quality of services, counseling services for family planning and reproductive health are being provided freely in every community health centre and “Mother-Child Health and Family Planning Centers” in our country.
In year 2005, in the plan that is updated as “Sexual Health and Reproductive Health National Strategic Action Plan for Health Sector”, Turkey’s priorities are determined as decreasing mother mortalities, prevention of undesirable pregnancies and development of youth health.
With the “Turkey Reproductive Health Program” being implemented in 2003–2007, many studies have been conducted for developing health service models for secure maternity, emergent obstetric care, sexually transmitted diseases, family planning, youth health, in-service training, developing curriculum for reproductive health and reproductive health services for university students.
Within the scope of this program, a financial support of 20 million Euros has been provided to the projects of NGOs.
Dear President, Dear Participants
To reduce the time spent by women and girls on routine tasks carries very important role in women and girls access to the opportunities.
This situation necessitates implementation of infrastructure projects in transport systems, energy, and water and sanitation systems areas in the context of family focused economic policies, the provision of the property and inheritance rights in the context of equality of opportunity.
With mentioned infrastructure investments existing in the priorities of our government the time spent by women and girls on routine tasks will be reduced significantly by provision of accessible and affordable sources.
Women’s and girls’ property and inheritance rights are protected within the context of New civil law and related arrangements overseeing gender equality, making women equal with men in family and society.
In this point it is an undeniable fact that the participation of the women in the design and application of the projects related to the public infrastructure would be helpful to overcome problems related to access to and compliance
Dear President, Dear Participants
The provision of the equal access and equal treatment in employment by supporting gender equality, improvement of the living standards of families by decreasing poverty have to be in our priorities.
In this context, in this period where women participate actively in work life, the reconciliation of the work and family life and measures to be taken related to this issue are urgent needs.
It is also important to eliminate the gender inequality existing in the working life, to imply policies, far from the discrimination, in the access to social protection and social security. At this point, it should be emphasized that the women’s access to a paid work will not be sufficient for decreasing poverty and strengthening women and the prestigious occupations should be the main target for all women.
In our country, all necessary measures are taken for reflecting in domestic law and implementing regulations relating to gender equality.
With the significant progress brought with the new Labor Code Entered into force in 2003, it was regulated that, in employers and labor relations, there cannot be discriminatory in terms of basic human rights because of any reason, including gender.
The law guaranteed the special protection of women in terms of working conditions specifically.
In "Excess Labor and the Working Time Regulations” section relating to Labor Code it is stated that women who are pregnant, have a new birth, breast-feed child cannot be made to overwork.
On the other hand, within work and projects being made to increase the employment of women in our country;
Participation to the European Union Gender Equality Community Program and support to the seminars increasing sensitivity
Within the cooperation of Turkey General Directorate of Employment Agency and the European Union Commission "Active Labor Programs Project" women have been determined as one of the main target group.
To determine policies for developing the potential of women entrepreneurs in Turkey “Women Entrepreneurs Council" has been created.
In "Employment Package” prepared for increasing employment of women, it is declared that social insurance premiums of recruited women will be met from the Unemployment Insurance Fund for 5 years. It is also stated that the liability of opening nursery and breastfeeding are the responsibilities of the employer...
Micro credit Practices, intending to prevent poverty are carried out by all the provincial governors with the target of reducing women poverty, including positive discrimination.
About maternal leave having the biggest role in the women's participation in working life and reconciling of the family and work lives "The bill for the changes in the Public Servants Law and Business Law” has been prepared.
In the mentioned bill, the period of parents' permission after the birth have been predicted as twelve months for workers and civil servants.
The bill being prepared by taking into consideration the social realities of our country and the commitments made in accordance with the international conventions for which our country have been the party so far, has been adopted in the Our Parliament’s European Union Harmonization Commission. The bill’s stages related to becoming law is going on.
Dear President,
Dear Participants,
Equality of opportunity in politics is a human right. Women’s participation in politics and in the decision-making positions at all levels as a human right is important. This participation improves the quality of governance. Because women participating directly in decision making bodies could press for different priorities than those emphasized by men.
In our country, there has been an increase in the woman representatives in the parliament after 22nd July 2007 elections. This number refers to a 9.1 percentage. And there are also two woman ministries in the cabinet.
Furthermore, the proportions of women in the occupations requiring expertise are very high. Today, the proportion of woman instructors in total university instructors is approximately 41.6 percentages and the proportion of woman professor in the university professors is 27.8 percentages. In the 13 of 132 universities, there are woman chancellors.
In diplomatic missions, 18 of 160 ambassadors officiating in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are women. In addition, there are 8 consulate generals. In Turkey, currently there are 35 woman presidents of civil authorities.
Dear President, Dear Participants
The findings show that the violence against women and girls forms an obstacle for development. National authorities, women organizations and United Nations accept violence against women as a basic violation of human rights.
In our country, protection of family and development of services provided to families are having priority in five-year development plans and related programs.
Family Protection Law being enacted primarily to prevent domestic violence in 1998 brought out a significant assurance system against to violence.
With this arrangement, domestic violence was defined out of Turkish Criminal Law as a legal document for the first time.
Several education programmers are carried out for judges and prosecutors to increase efficiency of law in application phase
To sentence wrongdoers of crime called “honor killing” with the severest punishment called “penal servitude for life” of our legal system was approved by Turkish Criminal law.
An Assembly Investigation Commission was set up with the goal of “Determination of the measures to be taken by investigating reasons of honor killing and violence against women and children” in 2005. In year 2009, Women and Men Equality Commission was established in the parliament. Responsible institutions and associations are being examined by the mentioned commissions.
Dear President, Dear Participants
Social problems that governments face with may be surmounted only with a social solidarity culture.
In the framework of family focused social policies, supporting family institution by strengthening women in terms of economic, social rights and implications, eliminating risks related to families bring countless development opportunities for the future of societies.
In this framework, the determination of family-related policies, necessary precautionary actions and compulsory implications will be discussed under the heading of “World Family Summit +5” “Families in Balance: Gender Equality and Strengthening Women” for three days in Istanbul.
The summit, where the discussions at the global level will take place, will enlighten for policies and implications at international, national and regional level.
Dear President and Dear Participants,
I want to mention that we wholeheartedly invite you to this important organization between 4th-7th December 2009 and we are looking forward to see you there, and I greet you with my best respects. |
