A ‘Strong Women Strong Esenyurt Workshop’ was held in Esenyurt.

Esenyurt Municipality organized the ‘Strong Women Strong Esenyurt Workshop’ to empower women in social life and ensure they have equal rights. The Mayor, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Özer, who hosted the program, stated, “If we do not change our mentality regarding women, nothing will change. We said, where there are women, there is life. Now we say, where there are strong women, there is a strong Esenyurt. If a new epic is to be written, it will rise on the shoulders of these women.”

At the ‘Strong Women Strong Esenyurt Workshop’ held in Esenyurt, academics, representatives of political parties, female village heads, and civil society organizations came together for women. In the program held at the Esenyurt Municipality service building, existing services for women were evaluated for improvement, future activities were discussed, and opportunities for joint cooperation were assessed. During the workshop moderated by academics, roundtable meetings were held on topics such as poverty and women’s rights, the role of women in politics and social life, women’s economic power and the business world, support for women subjected to violence, women’s health, and accessibility. Participants were informed about the municipality’s activities under the theme of women, which Mayor Prof. Dr. Ahmet Özer also attended.

“Nothing will change unless we change our mentality”

Mayor Özer pointed out that Turkey has a male-oriented and power-centered societal structure, stating, “Traditionally, power has come from men in the first societies. As a result, women have sometimes not had a say, sometimes have not been able to participate in production, and sometimes have had no rights at all within this traditional framework. In this social structure, a set of moral rules has emerged that endorses women’s inequality. Minds have been raised in this manner from childhood. In fact, women in these traditional societies have also raised men this way. Therefore, the biggest problem regarding women today is related to our mindset. No matter what we do, if we do not change our mindset or our mentality regarding women, nothing will change. But from the moment we start changing our mentality, many things will change. Perhaps our motto here could be: ‘Change your mentality, let the world change.’ We need to start this change from ourselves.”

“If there are strong women, there is a strong Esenyurt”

In his speech, Prof. Özer also addressed the recent incidents of femicide, saying, “Today, looking at the environment in which this mindset has particularly developed, it presents itself as a great disaster. That disaster is called violence against women and femicide… Recently, we have faced such a situation. Our hearts are aching. Now everyone needs to come together and shout out about this issue. We must establish a mechanism to act together. In this framework, we have responsibilities regarding women. There are also things that the general administration must do. We must do all of these in education, health, production, and participation. Because the most fundamental issue in justice is injustice in participation. If we cannot rectify these, solving the problem regarding women will be very difficult. For example, we have said in our management approach that where there are women, there is life. Therefore, if there are strong women, there is a strong Esenyurt, and if a new epic is to be written here, it will rise on the shoulders of these women.”

“For society to be good, women must first be good”

Stating that for a society to be good, women must first be good, Mayor Özer said, “A society that does not include women in the development process cannot be considered developed. We need to include women in these processes. If this is not done by the general administration, then we, as local administrators, must work with women on these issues. This is one such effort. We are building kindergartens, providing courses, offering educational assistance to our children, and creating parks; all of these are included in this issue. As Esenyurt Municipality, we are trying to fulfill our responsibilities in this regard.”

“We will organize a festival to evaluate women’s labor”

Prof. Özer announced that they would organize a festival to evaluate women’s labor, stating, “For instance, we have a total of 1,157 female personnel in our municipality, including 9 directors, 13 chiefs, and unit managers. During our 6 months in office, we provided employment for 1,720 women through ESBİM. In five years, we will provide jobs for 100,000 people. While we trained 778 women in our centers, 243 women benefited from our women’s cooperative. After these trainings, we hosted very beautiful exhibitions. But the important thing now is the marketing and sale of the handcrafted products they produce; we are continuing discussions with İBB for this. We will hold a Women’s Labor Evaluation Festival. In my opinion, this will not only illuminate our path but also provide significant opportunities for practical applications.”

“We must establish women cooperatives”

Emphasizing that women have two fundamental issues of freedom and equality, Prof. Özer stated, “We need to encourage women to participate in production and establish cooperatives. It is also extremely important to showcase the products produced here. If women have achieved economic freedom, it means a significant step has been taken. Participation in both politics and economic life is one of the critical elements for women’s liberation. With the workshops and panels we organize, we give women a voice. Together, we will build an Esenyurt where women and young people are freer.”

“Projects are produced in collaboration with stakeholders”

Sociologist and Political Scientist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Banu Dalaman stated that such initiatives need to increase in Turkey, saying, “The Strong Women Strong Esenyurt project and this workshop are very valuable. Especially when certain assessments are made in Turkey, decisions are generally taken from the top down. However, this workshop shows that Esenyurt Municipality wants to produce a plan and project regarding women by taking the opinions of all stakeholders. This is a very valuable workshop. I am very pleased to be here. Today we discussed some of the issues women face in society. I believe such initiatives should continue. I congratulate our Mayor for leading such a workshop.”

“It is very valuable for women to be taken into account”

Stating that she found the workshop very beneficial, Sociologist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahu Özmen Akalın, Head of the Social Work Department at Istanbul Kent University, said, “A workshop was organized addressing different issues related to women. The table I moderated focused on women’s rights and poverty. We had very nice evaluations, especially regarding women’s employment, women’s poverty, and women’s rights with individuals from different fields. We produced solution proposals. It is really very valuable for women to be taken into consideration… We hope to see more of these types of workshops in our municipalities.”

“We must start with the education of girls and women”

Nadire Özcan, President of the Association for the Protection of Girls, stated that they evaluated issues related to kindergartens, education, and employment during the workshop, saying, “This is a region that receives a lot of migration. The issues faced, especially by women and young girls, are multifaceted. We have a lot to do. First and foremost is education… We must start by going from neighborhood to neighborhood, entering every house, focusing on the education of girls and women. Especially, night kindergartens should be opened to enable women to work. Emphasizing women cooperatives is crucial to ensure employment.”