Joint Statement of the TMK Gender and Migration Working Group for 16 Days of Activism

Joint Statement of the TMK Gender and Migration Working Group for 16 Days of Activism

Around the world, women face a range of cross-cutting inequalities. We know from our experience that crises and emergencies such as war, climate change, pandemics, disasters, as well as forced migration and the associated conditions of increasing impoverishment, disproportionately affect women and girls due to gender-based inequalities; and that violence and discrimination against this group are exacerbated. The unfair distribution of social resources and hate speech expose refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking women and girls to multiple layers of inequality around the world. Refugee and migrant women are discriminated against because of their identity as women.

As we have observed after the recent devastating earthquakes in our country, the disaster situation continues to affect the lives of women in the region with various forms of risk and violence, and the protection needs of refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking women and children are increasing exponentially. At the same time, the importance of the role that women play in solving the problems of the communities in which they live has been reaffirmed in the aftermath of the earthquake. 

The Gender and Migration Working Group of the Refugee Council of Turkey (TMK) shares the following recommendations on combating gender-based violence:

• Refugee, migrant, asylum-seeker and host community women should be considered as the first responders in disaster and crisis situations, and their work at the forefront of humanitarian response should be recognized; investment should be made in policies and programs to disseminate and strengthen their leadership in humanitarian and development responses.
• Given the devastating and disproportionate impact of war and violence on refugee and migrant women and the weaponization of the female body, refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking women should be equally represented in peacekeeping and peacebuilding processes and post-conflict development programs, and women should be meaningfully involved in conflict resolution, early healing/recovery and access to sustainable solutions.
• As a strategy to overcome the social and economic inequalities and poverty faced by women and women's networks, economic initiatives and enterprises owned by refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking women and other women-led enterprises should be supported through policies and investments.
• The representation of refugee women in various sectors, especially in areas that are traditionally considered as “male” industries such as business, science, technology, engineering, mathematics and the digital economy, should be meaningfully supported.
• Despite facing various challenges, women in Turkiye and around the world manage to overcome these challenges and become leaders, activists and change-makers who transform their communities and societies for the better. Refugee, migrant and host community women should have access to equal rights, be treated equally, and be accepted as actors who are in control of their own lives.
• The leadership of refugee, migrant, asylum-seeker and host community women should be recognized and accepted as positive role models, rights holders and stakeholders, rather than as weak, passive or fragile people waiting for help.
• Policymakers should increase the deterrence of sanctions for gender-based crimes. To make women feel safer where they live, zero-tolerance policies on violence should be complemented by improvements in services and investment in infrastructure.

As the TMK Gender and Migration Working Group, we are committed to follow up on our above-mentioned requests, especially regarding refugee and migrant women, within the next year.