How should the women's movement build its front?

Canan Güllü - Head of TKDF (Federation of the Women Associations in Türkiye)

In recent years in Türkiye, systematic attacks on gender equality, women's acquired rights and mechanisms to combat violence have made the resilience and inclusiveness of the women's movement more critical than ever. This regression, which gained momentum with the decision to withdraw from the İstanbul Convention, extends across a wide range of areas, from the questioning of alimony rights to the targeting of Law 6284, from the increase in cases of digital abuse to the transformation of social assistance into a political tool.

Faced with this situation, the women's movement must unite its forces in a common struggle without fragmentation.

As an institution established in 1976 with extensive experience gained in the field, and as its president, we can summarise the struggle to be waged in this process under various headings.

We must sustain a rights-based, independent front that is resistant to political pressure. The fundamental strength of women's organisations stems from their rights-based and independent nature. Therefore:

• We must continue to counter the government's rhetoric and policies aimed at curtailing women's rights with a strong counter-narrative based on scientific, legal and international norms.

• The women's movement must not abandon its struggle, which centres on women's individuality and their right to make decisions about their own lives, rejecting the political power's narrow, ‘family-focused’ and ‘motherhood-centred’ framework.

• International mechanisms (UN, Council of Europe, CEDAW, Beijing+30 process, etc.) must be used more actively, and the norms from which Türkiye is attempting to withdraw must be kept constantly visible. The TKDF's role as regional secretariat in the Beijing+30 process is an important policy tool in this regard. We must continue to use this in every arena.

Building a broad, digital-age-inclusive common front against violence has been our most important focus in recent years.

The form of violence against women is changing. Digital abuse, sharing of intimate images, cyberstalking and online threats are becoming more common. Therefore, the women's movement must establish a common line of defence not only against physical violence but also against digital forms of violence. Based on the experience of the TKDF Emergency Helpline, a nationwide, accessible, comprehensive and rapid response network to combat violence should be expanded. Legal monitoring and reporting activities should be strengthened against the increasing practice of impunity by law enforcement and judicial authorities.

A NATIONAL WOMEN'S COALITION

The women's movement is strongest in neighbourhoods, provinces and local organisations. A horizontal, egalitarian and solidarity-based network of women's associations, platforms and independent feminist initiatives across Türkiye must be made sustainable. We must avoid ideological divisions. The local network built up by the TKDF since 1976 is the fundamental basis for strengthening this common front. As pressure on local governments' women's policies increases, it is critical for the women's movement to develop monitoring, tracking and accountability mechanisms in this area and to strengthen itself.

An inclusive approach that does not exclude young women, LGBTİ+ individuals, and migrant women should be the main goal, and no one who believes they have suffered human rights violations should be left out.

The women's movement can only grow stronger when it excludes no one. The organisation of young women in universities and on social media should be supported, and the transfer of experience to the young feminist movement should be made more systematic. Hate policies targeting LGBTQI+ individuals are an extension of misogyny; the women's movement must adopt a rights-based, inclusive stance without excluding these groups. Given that migrant and refugee women are the most vulnerable segment, the struggle must also advance along a line resilient to racism.

A collective policy bloc should be formed against economic violence, and effective discourse should be strengthened with data from the field. The impoverishment of women is one of the most effective tools for depriving them of their rights. Reporting on economic violence should be regularised to combat the reduction of women's employment and the increase in insecure and informal work. Joint advocacy should be carried out for the national implementation of ILO C190, which prevents violence and harassment in the workplace. For the last three years, TKDF has been working with ILO Türkiye on this issue and is currently working with INDITEX to establish policy documents and committees in the field, specifically for textile factories. We consider this issue to be of utmost importance and are striving to fully achieve our goal with a certificate from Geneva on how to proceed.

The demand for public care policies against the burden of care work falling entirely on women should be one of the main points of the front.

In the face of political attacks, the women's movement must use its strongest ground: data, law and the human rights framework. TKDF's data and field experience on women's murders, violence and access to justice are shared with the public in systematic reports to put pressure on policymakers. The lack of data plays a key role in delaying solutions.

In response to legal setbacks, joint campaigns should be conducted to re-strengthen all protective laws, particularly Law 6284.

AN EFFECTIVE DIGITAL ADVOCACY LINE

The reason why the government's rhetoric targeting women's rights is effective is because visibility on social media has become one-sided. TKDF and other women's organisations should produce a consistent counter-narrative on social media, easy-to-understand information graphics, quick response texts and campaigns that reach a wide audience. This is actually something we have been trying to do recently.

Digital rights must be defended as the main axis against the proliferation of digital violence content. Those exposed to digital violence must be told what to do. We all know that the women's struggle has a very strong history, and we draw strength from it. Although we sometimes struggle in the face of the AKP's attacks on women's rights, we know that the power of the women's movement lies in its diversity, independence, and extensive solidarity networks. We strive to remember and remind others of this. For TKDF, this period is not only about resisting the loss of rights, but also about the struggle to rebuild women's right to life, the principle of equality, and their freedoms.

We wholeheartedly believe that this front will only be effective if it is built together, on the basis of equality, and with persistence, and we continue our work in this direction.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Kadın hareketi nasıl bir cephe örmeli?, published in BirGün newspaper on November 25, 2025.