Document officiel du parti turc l'AKP sur ses actions en faveur des femmes.

1. MANY GREAT THINGS HAVE BEEN DONE AND LOTS OF NEW
ARRANGEMENTS DIRECTED TOWARDS WOMEN DURING AK PARTY
Many great steps have been taken directed towards the prevention of discrimination
based on gender. Lots of arrangements have been brought and the changes have
been made for the purposes such as to raise the life standard of women, to eliminate
the obstacles placed in front of them in the working life, to maintain the continuity of
the family, to enable women more visible in politics etc.
WOMEN IN THE TURKISH CONSTITUTION
Family Courts were established in 2003. It was decided that the family problems
would be solved in these specialized courts and by married judges.
In the labor law that was passed in 2003, the harassment at work was comprised as
crime and it was decreed that those who committed the crime of harassment would
be punished.
For the first time in the history of the Republic, “The Committee on Equality of
Opportunity for Women and Men” was established in the Turkish Grand National
Assembly.
The Equality of Women and Men fall within the Constitution.
For the first time “The equality of women and men” was defined as the responsibility
of the State in the Constitution by AK PARTY in 2004. The principle of the equality of
women and men took its place in the constitution in this way.
Women were taken within the scope of positive discrimination
Within the change made in the constitution in 2010, all the additional arrangements
that will be made towards the protection of the rights of the women, the children, the
handicapped, the elderly, the martyrs, the widows, the orphans and the war veterans
cannot be against the principle of “equality” has been taken under the constitutional
assurance. Thus, the way has been cleared for the application of positive
discrimination for the women, the children, the handicapped, the elderly, the martyrs,
the widows, the orphans and the war veterans.
THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Works have been performed towards preventing the women from being exposed to
violence.
“The research committee of honor killings” was established at the Turkish Grand
National Assembly.
Staffs of security, health and justice and males who are doing their military service
have been trained in order to prevent the violence against women.
1

2. With the change made in the Turkish Criminal Code, the crimes committed on the
basis of honor have been taken into the scope of the crimes based on the person,
and the punishments have been aggravated.
HELLO 183 LINE providing consultancy service to the women and children who have
been exposed to violence has been established.
THE WOMEN AND EMPLOYMENT IN BUSINESS LIFE
A great many of arrangements that will overcome the problems which women
experience in business life, and which will increase women’s employment have been
realized.
With the arrangement made in 2003, the principle of “equal pay for equal work” has
been brought to the Labor Act in order to prevent the discrimination in the Business
life.
With the arrangement made in the Labor Act, the maternity leave has been increased
to 16 weeks as 8 weeks before and 8 weeks after the birth.
With the arrangement made in 2008 in the social security law, the opportunity of
going into debt has been provided for the women workers with insured employment
for the period in which they do not work because of their maternity leave.
The women and the young with insufficient financial situation were enabled to gain a
profession by employment training programs.
Domestic production has been exempted from taxes. Women do not have to pay
taxes for the incomes they receive from the sales of the products they make at home.
With the stimulus package prepared in 2008, paying the insurance premium of the
women and the young has been started to be paid by the government for 5 years by
degrees in order to increase women and youth employment.
In order to support women entrepreneurship, a start-up support has been started to
be given to women entrepreneurs who want to set up their own businesses in certain
centers.
In the “Employment Indexed Manufacturer, Merchant and Craftsman SME Standby Credit”,
positive discrimination has been applied to women merchants and craftsmen, and they are
supported to use their higher loans.
In the places of agricultural development cooperatives, trainings have been given to the
women farmers on general cooperation and cooperative trading system and its field of
activity.
With the prime ministry circular letter issued on May 25th 2010, “Women’s Employment
Supreme Board” was established in order to strengthen the women’s socio-economic status,
to provide “the equality of women and men” in business life and in the social life, and to
2

3. increase women employment. Prevention of discrimination based on gender and the follow-
up of its application was started.
TRAINING
Many great projects have been put into practice on education of Women.
By the project called “Hey Girls, Let’s Go to School”, our 350 000 girls have enrolled to
school. With the project called “Mother and Daughter, We are at School” it is aimed that 3
million women
will become literate.
With “the project of Training of the Mother, Father and the Children”, the families have been
reached by means of conferences, panel discussions, courses, home visits and village visits.
Trainings have been given on the subjects such as “violence in the family, family planning,
protection of the youth from bad habits, honor killings and violence against women, abuse of
children”.
Financial contributions and training material support have been rendered so that the needy
families will be able to have their children educated. While the contributions were being
determined, positive discrimination was practiced for girls. In the conditional cash transfers,
the payments are deposited in the mothers’ accounts for the purpose that girls will get more
than boys.
HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY
Within the scope of Health and Social Security, signatures were signed for innovations
matchless in the history of the Republic.
Those who work at housework services have been comprised to insurance.
Opportunity has been provided for the women who make handicraft so that they will be able
to pay their voluntary insurance premiums.
Within the health contributions, financial aids are given for 0-6-year-old children of the
poorest families of the population on condition that they will take their children to
health check-ups. The payments are deposited in the accounts opened in the names
of the mothers.
Financial aids have started to be given to pregnant women on condition that they will
give birth in the hospitals and they will visit the doctor for regular check ups.
With “the Recycling Program in Health”, the mother-baby death rate was decreased
48% in the 5-year period between the years 1998-2003 and 2003-2008. The target of
2010 was reached in 2009.
With insurance which is the first for women who are self-employed, breast feeding
grant in aid; grant in aid for incapacity of working of 16 weeks in the event of
pregnancy started being paid as the maternity aid.
In the event of the determination of a loss of 10% or more of earning power due to
work accident and occupational disease, permanent payment for incapacity of work is
assigned.
3

4. In the event of death of the working women, survivor pensions have been assigned
for her spouse, her children and parents who are the holders of the right.
The girls who get survivor pensions can get the two-year amount of their payment of
their pension as marriage payment for one time only when they get married.
The married couples who cannot have babies gained the right to benefit from in vitro
fertilization treatment without any payment by general health insurance.
Conditional cash transfer contribution has been provided for the mothers of 0-6-year-
old children on condition that they will take their children to the doctor regularly so
that poverty will not endanger the health care.
The way of 5 years early retirement has been cleared for the mothers who have
handicapped children.
An opportunity has been provided for the insured women to be able to get retired by
paying their own premiums for the 2 years of incapacity of work for each child (up to
two children).
THE PLACE OF WOMEN IN SOCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Practices have been provided to give priority to women in the field of social
contribution.
Women have been provided take 70% of the social contribution and the project
support carried out by the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation.
Municipalities with a population over 50 thousand are obliged to open women
shelters for women who are exposed to violence.
ARRANGEMENTS MADE FOR THE HANDICAPPED
The first law for the handicapped in our country was passed in 2005. With the law,
the rights of the handicapped, especially the training, health, employment, and the
social lives of the handicapped being in the first place has been taken under legal
assurance.
Whether they have social security or not, all the private training expenses of the
handicapped attending special training and rehabilitation centers have, for the first
time been covered by the government.
The application of free transportation has started since 2004 in order to provide the
problem-free transportation of the handicapped students.
In the event that the handicapped is taken care of at home, the payment of one net
minimum wage, and in the event that the handicapped is placed in an institution as a
boarding person, two net minimum wage of guardian’s allowance started to be paid.
4

5. Mothers having a handicapped child got the right of retiring 5 years earlier.
WOMEN IN TURKEY ACCORDING TO THE TÜİK 2010 SOCIAL GENDER
INDICATORS …
• The rate of illeterate women which was 19.4% in 2000 decreased to 11%.6 in
2009.
• In the same years, the rate of the women who graduated from academies and
faculties raised (in spite of the head scarf problem experienced at the
universities) from 5.4% to 7.3%.
• While the net schooling rate was 90.8% in women at the elementary school
level in the school year of 2000-2001, it was realized as 97.8% in 2009-2010
period.
• While the rate of women’s participation in labor force was 17.2 in cities in
2000, it was 40.2 in the rural areas. In 2009, this number increased to 22.3 for
cities and decreased to 33.6 in the rural areas. With the encouragement
practice of the government in 2008 aiming to increase the employment of
women and young, these data have been reached in spite of the depression
and unemployment experienced in the world.
• According to the results of the survey of household using of information
technologies, the rate of computer usage which was 11.5% in women in 2005
increased to 30% in 2009, and the rate of internet usage raised from 8.6% to
28%.
• According to the life satisfaction survey, the rate of women who are satisfied
with their jobs raised from 38.1% to 59.8% between 2003 and 2009.
• According to the same survey, the rate of women who are satisfied with the
household income raised from 18.7% to 31.2% between 2003 and 2009.
5