29/05/2024 | Writer: Kaos GL
DEM Party Istanbul MP Özgül Saki spoke about the “Vision Document and Action Plan for the Protection and Strengthening of the Family” at a press conference organized at the Parliament.
Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Istanbul MP Özgül Saki held a press conference at the Parliament regarding the “Vision Document and Action Plan for the Protection and Strengthening of the Family (2024-2028)”, introduced by Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş on May 15.
Saki described the Action Plan as “the manifesto of a new social structure” effort. Stating that they do not accept the document, which includes policies hostile to women and LGBTI+ individuals, Saki said the following:
“The ‘Vision Document and Action Plan for the Protection and Strengthening of the Family,’ announced by the Minister of Family and Social Services on May 15, represents a new step in the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government’s policies focused on protecting the family rather than women.
In this Vision Document, woman has no name, women’s issues are barely acknowledged. In the 75-page text, the word ‘woman’ appears only four times, with the narrative primarily defining women within the context of the family.
This document serves as a manifesto for the AKP’s strategy of encircling society with religiously referenced familialist policies, a strategy it has been implementing since coming to power, aimed at building a new social structure in this direction.
For instance, the document identifies late marriages as a problem and encourages early marriages. This document is an admission that the government will continue its policies of hostility towards LGBTI+ community.
Additionally, the document introduces the concepts of ‘family-friendly disaster policies’ and ‘family-friendly cities’ while discussing disaster policies and the construction of disaster-resilient cities.
We are well aware that this document, purportedly prepared through participatory Family Workshops, was not crafted by women’s organizations, professional chambers, and NGOs, but by sects, congregations, and the Presidency of Religious Affairs.
We categorically reject this document, which erases the identity of women and crystallizes the government’s anti-women and anti-LGBTI+ policies. There is life outside the family!”
Tags: human rights
