It was founded in 1990 by a group of feminists to combat violence against women. In 1987, after a court rejected the divorce request of a woman who had been subjected to violence, whereby the presiding judge remarked that “one should never leave a woman without batons on her back, and without babies in her womb”, feminists launched an effective campaign called “Women’s Solidarity Against Beatings”. Throughout the campaign, as they questioned the patriarchal mindset in Turkey and strived to support women subjected to violence, they also identified women’s need for legal aid and practical support. In 1989, they formed a solidarity network that provided support to women via hotline.
Since its inception, acting as a solidarity centre as well as an independent shelter, it has made efforts not to “help” women, but rather form a women’s solidarity against violence. Since 1990, the Solidarity Centre has been providing social, psychological, and legal support to women subjected to domestic violence, assisting them in starting an independent life. As of today, the Solidarity Centre has reached out to 45,000 women through its activities, and supported more than 1000 women and their children by operating the only independent women’s shelter in Turkey.
One of its key goals is to form a women’s solidarity network to exchange knowledge and experience, raise awareness, and disseminate feminist methods in countering violence against women. As part of its efforts to fight male violence, it has held information seminars and awareness workshops for hundreds of people including municipality staff, judges, prosecutors, lawyers, psychologists, social workers, and volunteers. It has published numerous books, reports, and brochures to share its experience.
The organisation primarily relies on the lived experiences of women while formulating its policies. It identifies women’s needs and maps the obstacles they face; it devises recommendations for legislative amendments accordingly. It submits reports to international mechanisms, stocktaking the performance and activities of public agencies, and seeking to bridge identified gaps and shortcomings. Moreover, it shares information with international networks, compiles, and reports on good practices. In an effort to exchange experience, hammer out joint policies, and establish a lasting communication network across organisations and agencies, it holds annual assemblies. It collaborates with independent women’s organisations in various campaigns and activities, and strives to exert pressure on public authorities.
In all its activities, the organisation is in pursuit of getting stronger together, and struggling together. To ensure women are able to take their own decisions, instead of telling their beneficiaries what to do, the organisation makes them become aware of all possible options. Regardless of their beneficiaries’ ultimate decisions, it always focuses on supporting and empowering women in putting their decision into practice.
Today, our coming together here at the International Hrant Dink Award ceremony is a testament to our long-standing struggle against discrimination in Turkey, the strong solidarity we have forged along the way as well as our shared belief in building another world. We stand here as a big group to accept this honour, to reflect our non-hierarchical structure and collective identity as a civil society organisation, and to recognise the common struggle of all women whose paths have crossed with the organisation.
Mor Çatı was founded back in the 1980s by feminists, who showed the willpower to take to the streets against male violence at a time when people were not even talking about it and who firmly believed that the greatest struggle against patriarchy can be achieved through women’s solidarity, with the mission to combat male violence and to serve as a roof for solidarity among women. As Mor Çatı volunteers, since our paths crossed the organisation and since we have become a part of this solidarity, we have been striving to extend this struggle to all aspects of our lives because we are the very subject of it.
When we reflect on our past, we see a history of struggle and achievements made possible thanks to the feminist movement made up of countless women whose names we do not even know. Against the backdrop of rising hatred as well as assaults on our achievements and endeavours towards building an equal and just life, it can be difficult to remember what we have changed so far. For instance, we do know that thanks to the struggle of women, we have been able to amend the discriminatory laws in the country, overhauled the Civic Code, opened shelters and women counselling centres. Today, even misogynists who believe that women deserve violence are hesitating to express their opinion, and this is all thanks to the feminist struggle. That’s why at a time when they cast their eyes on women’s equal rights and try to discredit feminism, we do embrace our struggle; we do feel strong and hopeful.
However, the responsibility to combat patriarchy and male violence is not merely limited to those that rule the country. As we talk about women subjected to violence, as we talk about men inflicting violence, we are actually talking about ourselves. Each and every one of us is equally responsible for transforming both ourselves as well as our society. As a feminist organisation, beyond this responsibility, we have a dream to change the world in such a way that gender discrimination is fully eradicated. This precisely why, we are accepting this award today, not for the ongoing solidarity and struggle undertaken by Mor Çatı, but on behalf of all women, who have been subjected to violence right from the moment they opened their eyes to life and even in their mother’s womb, for those who have been alienated from their own body and labour, for those who have never had the agency to decide for themselves, yet who have taken the very step to change their lives despite all these, by reaching out to Mor Çatı and by becoming an essential part of this solidarity.
Our struggle for an equal and just life free from violence is our shared cause.