Business Against Intimate Partner Violence

Table of Contents

1. Frontmatter

2. Gender Equality: An imperative for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

   1. Frontmatter

   2. Chapter 1. The Global Context: Sustainable Development Goals and Gender Equality

      Melsa Ararat

      Abstract

      The 2030 Development Agenda, adopted unanimously by the 193 United Nations (UN) member countries on September 25, 2015, is a universal call to action for transforming the world to one that is free from poverty, inequality, violence, manmade natural disasters, and resource depletion for the current and future generations. The 2030 Agenda sets 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 associated Targets that represent a broad intergovernmental consensus on the world’s development priorities. The Goals were set through a participative process led by the UN, which included states, companies, civil society organizations, scientists, and experts over a period of 3 years. “Commitment to universal human rights” is depicted as the overarching normative and ethical framework for the SDGs.

   3. Chapter 2. The BADV Project

      Melsa Ararat

      Abstract

      Turkey, frequently referred to as a bridge between the East and the West, has a long history of women struggling for equality. Part 2 of this book provides an overview of this rich history from multiple lenses. In this part, we briefly turn the spotlight to the most recent developments in which the BADV Project evolved.

   4. Backmatter

3. Institutional Context: Women in Turkey

   1. Frontmatter

   2. Chapter 3. Gender and Violence in Turkey: An Introduction

      Fatmagül Berktay

      Abstract

      The society we should strive for is one that can hold and value cultural, religious, and gendered differences while maintaining the promise of equality for all. In many obvious ways, women’s daily lives differ from men. The strategies to improve their lives must, therefore, take these differences into consideration. There is a critical need to place gender-based violence within the context of the structural inequality faced by women. Doing so would work as a means of breaking down the distinction between public and private life, which operates to exclude gender-based violence from the human rights agenda.

   3. Chapter 4. The Role of Women in the Turkish Economy: Gender Equality in the Labor Market

      Özge İzdeş

      Abstract

      Economic empowerment is of vital importance to increasing women’s ability to prevent or terminate abusive and violent relationships. In this regard, two key steps in this process are increasing women’s economic participation and achieving gender equality in the labor market. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the role of women in the Turkish economy by analyzing women’s economic participation and gender equality in the labor market. With this objective, the paper presents trends in women’s labor force participation, employment conditions, the gender wage gap, and earnings gap as well as gendered patterns in unemployment. Bottlenecks in increasing women’s economic participation are discussed by addressing the interplay between paid and unpaid work, which not only constrains women’s labor force participation, but also influences the conditions of their participation in employment. This paper discusses the dynamics that subjugate women to a vicious cycle of bleak employment prospects, low economic participation, fewer gains, and traditional gender roles.

   4. Chapter 5. An Overview of Feminism in Turkey: Parameters of Change

      Sevgi Uçan Çubukçu

      Abstract

      Feminist movements and feminist thought have experienced several noteworthy events throughout Turkish history. These events began with the Tanzimat Era of the Ottoman Empire and continued through the formation of the modern Republic. During this period, there were significant legal changes in women’s lives in both the public and private spheres, including in regard to equality within the modernization paradigm.

   5. Chapter 6. The Story of Turkey’s Struggle with Violence Against Women/Domestic Violence in the 2000s

      Meltem Ağduk

      Abstract

      Nursen voiced in the group, for the first time, that she was beaten up and subjected to violence. While listening to her, everyone in the group realized that violence cannot be measured by socioeconomic criteria, because Nursen was an architect and her husband was a doctor.

   6. Chapter 7. Responsibilities of Corporations in the Struggle Against Gender-Based Violence

      Fatma İrem Çağlar Gürgey

      Abstract

      It is a point of controversy whether or not corporations have an ethical and legal obligation to struggle against gender-based domestic violence. In this article, I put forward the opinion that corporations subject to Turkish law do, in fact, have a legal and ethical responsibility to combat domestic violence. I justify my argument according to national and international norms, including the Istanbul Convention. This agreement, which is reflected in Turkish domestic law no. 6284, denotes the responsibility of corporations to cooperate with the state in the battle against gender-based domestic violence. At the same time, soft legal instruments that regulate corporate human rights responsibilities can also provide a legal framework for organizations to prevent gender-based domestic violence against women.

4. Backmatter