January 24, 2006

Women members of the KESK Confederation have staged a protest in front of the Trabzon Governors’ Offices and have called the Interior Ministry offices to take action against the illegal sexual discrimination they experience in Trabzon.

In her statement, the head of Haber-Sen (News Workers’ Union) Esin Yelekçi said, “We are determined to fight against this mentality of ‘honor, modesty, obscenity’ which actually is a plan to kick us out of working life. We will fight against sexism that is trying to surround our life.”

Yelekçi said it was the government’s basic role to prevent discrimination against women and to implement equal policies in all aspects of social life as an obligation to international law. She said the sexist and conservative policies of the government are being carried out by the governors in public. In a recent incident, an association in Trabzon had given a complaint letter to the Trabzon Governor about the women workers in that northern city. Yelekçi said the known tactics have been launched against the self-respect of women, and to break their resistance to breaches and their quest to defend their rights. “The Governor of Trabzon should apologize to the laborer women and take back the complaint right away.”

Source: Evrensel

G.Y.