Ayça, a Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University student, said, “There is hope wherever women are united. We do not remain silent, are unafraid, and never give up the struggle.”
*Su Yiğit
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We spoke with a female student from Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University about femicides, campus security and the problems young women face.
The recent protests against femicides all over Turkey reveal the anger and determination of young women to fight. Ayça, who studies at Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, explained how university students are in solidarity to defend women’s rights to live and how the government is inadequate in combating violence against women.
“Preventive steps are not being taken in femicides”
Ayça, recalling the murder of İkbal Uzuner by a man, expressed the inadequacy of the government’s policies regarding preventing femicides with the following words:
We see that even when a woman is harassed or subjected to violence, her complaint is not taken into consideration. The necessary protective measures are not implemented. The withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, which protects women’s rights and life security, has also worsened the situation. The impunity of those who committed violence and the fact that our complaints are left unsolved leave women unprotected. Femicides are political in this country, and we all know that.
“We are safer on campus, but we are unsettled in our dorms”
Touching on the problems faced by young women at the university, Ayça said that she felt relatively safe on campus but was unsettled while returning to her dorm:
The road to my dorm is dark and deserted. I try not to walk on the path late at night. When I have to, I make sure to have something in my bag to protect myself. As a woman, it is very tiring to feel constantly on the alert.
“The fight against violence against women starts with education”
Stating that the re-enactment of the Istanbul Convention on the prevention of femicides and violence is an urgent need, Ayça also emphasised the importance of education:
The fight against violence against women is possible by creating social awareness. However, the government’s policies make it difficult to access education. It isn’t easy to access free education and preschool education. Fighting violence against women should be a part of the education curriculum.
“Media normalises violence”
Some media outlets normalise and legitimise violence, which increases men’s tendency to violence. Women need to defend their rights and carry out an organised struggle. We must unite against every form of oppression from mobbing to harassment, from violence to femicides.
Ayça’s words reveal that the struggle for women’s rights to live in universities has poured out of campuses and become a social voice. Women continue to defend their rights and fight for their lives. In Ayça’s words:
There is hope wherever women are united. We do not remain silent, are unafraid, never give up the struggle.
