Summary

Part of a series of interviews recorded in conjunction with WLP public event, 'Challenges of Change: Religion, Secularism, and Rights'. In this interview Yakın Ertürk, former UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women explores the root causes of violence against women in our society and how an interrogation of our understanding of culture that justifies the use of force to keep women in place, may be used to address the issue, culture as site of consternation where negotiations can transform tensions. Discusses the impact of global women's movement on human rights, women linking struggles with wider struggles, questioning homogeneity of culture of domination. This refers to minority and group rights. Discusses how activities at international level can benefit at local level, enabling redress in different parts of the world. Discusses the impact of CEDAW, example of Turkey. Discusses claims on women (e.g., veiling) as clash of masculinity, alternative masculine political agendas using women's issues to advance own. Example of headscarf in Turkey. Mentions Turkish constitution. Discusses success of bringing violence against women to agenda, 1993. Describes international gender order as patriarchal, position of women as perpetuated in institutions of every day life. Describes path to change necessarily involving demand from women themselves. Explains history of Turkish Criminal Code as rooted in Italian Criminal Code where sexually-oriented crimes were not viewed as crimes against women. Observes that change in legislation through social transformation attributed to The European Union with the content of new provisions a product of struggle and determination of women of all religions classes united. Reflects on WLP's contribution as creating linkages, rupturing historically polarized positions in the women's rights movement that provoke defensive positions, instead of linking diverse struggles, in-process empowering and generating alternative modality. Reflects on learning that working together is key to empowerment, the richness of our diversity should be preserved while using commonality to change obstacles that challenge our existence as women.

Runtime: [00:24:39]

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