WOMEN are seeking their rights in the streets, squares, social media, school campuses and everywhere imaginable to make their voices heard against murder and violence. Sometimes they show their reactions by shouting loudly, sometimes by singing, and sometimes by standing silently. They want to be seen, attract attention, raise awareness. They do not want to be pressured, hindered or beaten. They don’t want to die, they don’t want to die. All effort is just to live.
It’s not a movie line, it’s not a public service announcement at all. This is the truth. The year is 2024; Nearly 400 women were murdered in 10 months. He was killed. Whatever we say, write, or praise in the name of sustainability, the green or blue world, seems shameful.
What would happen if the leaders of the business world – mostly men – announced their sustainability budgets and gilded annual reports one after the other? There are two indispensable elements of humanity, how much more can one say ‘what’s wrong with me’ to realize itself while one falls victim to murders…
Looking for an answer to this question, 40 opinion leaders founded the Yanındayiz Association in 2018. The aim was to bring men into the field for women’s rights. Yanındayiz, the pioneer of the pro-feminist men’s movement in Turkey, is still the only association in this field.
Recently, I received a message from Selen Okay Akçalı, the President of the Yanındayiz Association. “Men will sign an action called ‘We are on Watch’ to protest and draw attention to femicide. “They will express their responsibility in the fight against violence against women and raise awareness by commemorating the women we lost to murder in 2024,” the message said.
The location of the “We are on Watch” action, which will be carried out together with Şişli Municipality, is the Artists’ Park in Maçka, Istanbul.
I called Akçalı immediately. I said, ‘Can you tell me a little about it?’ He gave the following information:
EVERY MAN WILL READ A NAME
“We are on duty, it is actually one of our notable actions, but we have not been able to do it since 2019. When there is a case of violence against women, women always take to the streets. We are always walking. It’s not just the murders; There are always women on the streets during climate protests and when nature is murdered. We don’t see men on the streets. In ‘We Are on Watch’, men will be on the streets. They will come together. There will be a screen in the background where data on femicides will flow. We work with the We Will Stop Femicide Platform. There are 400 names killed in 10 months. Each of our male members will read the name of a female victim. One of our members, Bülent Gürcan, will also read the declaration. And we will end with a silent remembrance.”
Who will come to the vigil on November 25? “We expect all our male members to come,” Akçalı replied. I looked at the membership list of the association.
Prominent managers and bosses of business life such as Ahmet Güçlü, Agah Uğur, Bekir Ağırdır, Faruk Eczacıbaşı, Cüneyt Yavuz, Orhan Turan, Yılmaz Yılmaz, Erden Timur, Mehmet Nane, Ömer Aras immediately caught my eye.
It is very important that these names, who employ thousands of people and are at the head of ecosystems of millions of people, take part in actions such as We Are on Watch. It also attracts attention. But now it is necessary to go beyond these.
Just as commitments are being made for the climate crisis, these names should consider establishing systems that will keep women safe in the ecosystem they touch. For example, if a woman who does not feel safe can contact someone close to her who works in these companies, she can be taken into the circle of trust. Is it a dream or is it too difficult? I don’t think so.
Selen Okay Akçalı also agrees: “When we determine our members, we research them thoroughly and then make an offer saying, ‘We have chosen you, will you become a member?’ The commission investigates for a long time and then a letter is written. We make each member sign a manifesto when we recruit them. He is actually making a commitment on his own behalf. But that doesn’t include his company or the ecosystem he leads. “Such a circle of trust can be created in any structure.”
Selen Okay Akçalı
WINNERS OF KOZA ARE ANNOUNCED
One of the important projects of the ready-made clothing industry is the Koza Young Fashion Designers Competition. It was organized for the 32nd time this year by the Istanbul Ready-made Clothing and Apparel Exporters Association (IHKİB) with the aim of bringing young designers to the fashion world. The final night at Raffles Hotel was amazing. The young people have done a great job. Leading names of the industry such as TİM President Mustafa Gültepe, İHKİB Vice President Mustafa Paşahan, Koza Jury President Nejdet Ayaydın were present at the night.
TİM President Mustafa Gültepe made a remarkable speech and said to the young finalists, “You will all contribute to the sector. First, start at a company. Work in this geography. Then you establish your own brand and open up to the world. “Currently, nearly 3 thousand Turkish ready-made clothing brands have their own stores in 100 countries,” he said.
The 10 finalists, Ahmet Can Güçlü, Ece Zikguş, Gülnihal Uluçay, Lamia Duran, Levent Tirki, Mehmet Melih Sevinç, Selçuk Durdu, Sude Keskin, Taha Erdem Ömeroğlu and Umut Kaya, who prepared for the competition under the mentorship of Belma Özdemir and Nihan Peker, exhibited their collections in a fashion show.
At the award ceremony held after the fashion show, Sude Keskin won the first prize with her “De Pulchritudo” collection. Umut Kaya won the second prize with his “Two Hundred and Twenty-Two” collection, while Ahmet Can Güçlü received the third prize with his “Love Me Like This” collection. Considering that designers such as Bahar Korçan, Hakan Yıldırım, Arzu Kaprol also left this competition, we wish them good luck. The winner of the competition was awarded 150 thousand TL, the second prize was 100 thousand TL, and the third prize was 75 thousand TL. Young people will be able to participate in education abroad and English language education in Turkey with the support of the ministry.
EUROPEAN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUTH DANCERS
I loved this project. Because young people have difficulties in every field of art. URBAN Care Young Talent Platform (UYTP), in cooperation with the Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG), sent young dancers to training in prestigious schools in Europe. Recently, young people returned to Turkey and told their peers about their experiences. A great career opportunity was created for 45 young dancers with the aim of “Equal Opportunity in Dance”. Urban Care included young people from across Türkiye who wanted to receive training in ballet, contemporary-modern dance and street dance categories in the project. The project will continue. It’s worth watching.
Source: bigpara.hurriyet.com.tr
