the first five years of the open society foundation turkey

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THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF THE O P E N S O C I E T Y F O U N D A T I O N T U R K E Y
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2009-2013
The Fırst Fıve Years Of The Open Socıety Foundatıon Turkey
2009-2013
The Fırst Fıve Years Of The Open Socıety Foundatıon Turkey
Publıshed By
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION TURKEY
Concept And Edıtors
GöKÇE TÜYLÜOĞLU,
ÖZLEM YALÇINKAYA,
PELİN BARDAKÇI,
ELİF AL,
ALİ BORATAV
Texts and Translatıon
AYŞE GÜNAYSU
Graphıc Desıgn
BURCU KAYALAR
Color Separatıon, Prıntıng And Bındıng
A4 OFSET Matbaacılık San. ve Tic. Ltd. Şti.
Oto Sanayi Sitesi, Yeşilce Mahallesi, Donanma Sk, No 16
Kağıthane 34418 İstanbul
Tel: 0212 281 64 48
C OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION TURKEY
Cevdetpaşa Cad. Mercan Apt. No 85 D 11
bebek 34342 İstanbul
Tel: 0212 287 99 86
www.aciktoplumvakfi.org.tr
All rıghts reserved. No text and no vısual
materıal can be reproduced, publıshed or
dıstrıbuted by any means wıthout prıor
permıssıon except for short excerpts
to be used for promotıonal purposes
by gıvıng reference.
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T H E F I R S T F I V E Y E A R S O F T H E
O P E N S O C I E T Y F O U N D A T I O N T U R K E Y
c o n t e n t s
THE EUROPEAN UNION .
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THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSION ON TURKEY.
WHY OPEN SOCIETY? .
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ANOTHER FIVE YEARS’ WORK FOR THE OPEN SOCIETY IDEAL / İSHAK ALATON .
“OPEN” REFLECTIONS ON THE FIRST FIVE YEARS / GÖKÇE TÜYLÜOĞU.
REFORM .
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NEVER AGAIN! COMING TO TERMS WITH PAST AND APOLOGY. . . . . . . . . . . 20
ANATOLIAN CONSCIENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
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28
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THE IMPACT OF EU ON 100 AREAS OF OUR DAILY LIVES .
“THE COST OF NO EU-TURKEY” BOOKS .
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REFLECTIONS OF EU-TURKEY RELATIONS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD.
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MEETING SERIES ON THE CYPRUS CONFLICT .
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EDUCATION .
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SUPPORTING ROMA CHILDREN FOR HIGHER EDUCATION.
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BİLGİ UNIVERSITY: PREVENTING DISCRIMINATION IN EDUCATION .
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SOCIAL POLICY FORUM: RESEARCH ON INEQUALITIES IN TURKEY .
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MEDITERRANEAN CHILDREN ART ATELIER AND ETUDE CENTRE. .
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HELSINKI CITIZENS’ ASSEMBLY: TEACHERS FOR DEMOCRATIZATION AND PEACE BUILDING.
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PROJECTS FOR IMPROVING LIVING CONDITIONS OF THE DISABLED . . . . . . . . . 76
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PROJECTS OF THE CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE PENAL SYSTEM ASSOCIATION.
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BİLGİ UNIVERSITY: INTERNATIONAL TRAUMA STUDIES CERTIFICATE PROGRAM. . . . . . 77
YOUNG PEOPLE OF TURKEY SPEAK OUT .
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DEBATE TRAINING FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS .
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THE UNSPOKEN TRUTH: ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
NESİN MATHEMATICS VILLAGE - 2010-2011 SUMMER SEASON. . . . . . . . . . . 78
HRANT DİNK FOUNDATION’S PROJECTS .
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SALT: INTERPRETATION PROGRAM .
FROM THE WHITE SCREEN TO THE BLACKBOARD .
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COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS FOUNDATION: HUMAN RIGHTS FRAMEWORK PROGRAM . .
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SULUKULE YOUTH ORCHESTRA .
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1964 EXILE OF ISTANBUL GREEKS: “20 KILOS 20 DOLLARS” RESEARCH AND EXHIBITION . .
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TURKEY ROMA RIGHTS FORUM .
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KUŞTEPE CHILDREN ETUDE CENTER .
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SURVEY ON THE SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARATERISTICS OF AFRO-TURKISH WOMEN. . . . 58
THE PANEL DISCUSSION AND FORUM: ALEVIS AND SUNNIS CONFRONT “THE 28 FEBRUARY
POST-MODERN MILITARY COUP” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
İSMAİL BEŞİKÇİ FOUNDATION: DİYARBAKIR ORAL HISTORY PROJECT .
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HUMAN RIGHTS IN MENTAL HEALTH PROJECT. .
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BOĞAZİÇİ UNIVERSITY: THE SURVEY ON THE PROCESSES OF ‘OTHERING’ IN TURKEY .
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BAK: REVEALING THE CITY THROUGH MEMORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
WORK FOR DIALOGUE BY TESEV AND GPOT .
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“REMEMBERING” WITH PHOTOGRAPHY: PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS WITH YOUTH . .
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BOĞAZİÇİ UNIVERSITY: RESEARCHES ON CONSERVATISM AND MIDDLE CLASSES IN TURKEY.
KOÇ UNIVERSITY: TURKISH ELECTION STUDIES 2011. .
SOCIAL POLICY FORUM: FREE LUNCH AT SCHOOL.
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TOHAV: AN ACTIVE CIVIL SOCIETY FOR PREVENTING TORTURE .
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DİTAM: THE ROLE OF THE MOTHER TONGUE IN HEALTH CARE SERVICES . .
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GENDER STUDIES .
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FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND FREEDOM OF PRESS:
CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS AND CARNEGIE EUROPE REPORTS . .
HATE CRIMES IN NATIONAL PRESS: 10 YEARS, 10 EXAMPLES .
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KAMER: TO WORK FOR WOMEN, WITH WOMEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
11. INTERNATIONAL FILMMOR WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL ON WHEELS .
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DITAM: SURVEY ON SOCIAL DYNAMICS OF EARLY MARRIAGES .
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SEMIHA ES- WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM . .
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LGBT STUDIES.
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LAMBDA EXTENDS ITS SUPPORT TO FAMILIES WITH LGBT CHILDREN ACROSS TURKEY. . . . 102
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PINK LIFE ADVOCACY AND STRATEGIC LITIGATION PROJECT . . . . . . . . . . . 104
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STRENGTHENING MECHANISMS OF ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR LGBT PEOPLE . .
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KAOS GL: DISSEMINATION IN TURKEY OF STANDARDS ON COMBATING DISCRIMINATION
ON GROUNDS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY. . . . . . . . . . . . 104
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MEDIA .
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THE TURKISH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STUDIES FOUNDATION: TESEV .
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SPOD: BRINGING LGBT RIGHTS PERSPECTIVE INTO LOCAL POLITICS IN TURKEY .
CIVIL SOCIETY.
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TÜSEV: CIVIL SOCIETY MONITORING REPORT 2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
IMPR: PERCEPTION OF KURDISH QUESTION IN TURKEY BY KURDISH GROUPS
IN THE MIDDLE EAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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BİLGİ UNIVERSITY: GUIDELINES FOR MONITORING PUBLIC EXPENDITURES. . . . . . . 108
“WHAT ON EARTH HAVE I GOT TO DO WITH OTHERS’ RIGHTS?” . .
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SATURDOX DOCUMENTARY MEETINGS AT ‘DEPO’ .
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A LONELY AND WORRIED COUNTRY: TURKEY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
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BLACK RIBBON: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN ARTS PROJECT . . . . . . . . . . . 109
6
Open? The opposıte of “closed”, ın other words ınclusıve. Inhalıng
and exhalıng, that ıs to say, permeable ınwards and outwards,
offerıng fluıdıty ın both ways. Embracıng but not confınıng. That
whıch ıs not complete and fınıshed, but a state of beıng on the
way, contınuıng to develop and enrıchıng ıts beıng. Movıng and
changıng; refusıng to be kept ın ınertıa.
Socıety? When Arıstotle saıd two thousand years ago “He who
ıs unable to lıve ın socıety, or who has no need because he ıs
suffıcıent for hımself, must be eıther a beast or a god,” he had ın
mınd the ınseparabılıty of an ındıvıdual from socıety. Although
we are the ones who have brought ıt ınto beıng, ıt acquıred the
power to please us, or otherwıse, grıeve us, as ın many cases ıt
has become an apparatus whıch controls us, ınstead of beıng
controllable by us. It can both hurt us and heal us.
Open Socıety? A socıety whıch ıs aware of ıts ınherent possıbılıty
of errıng, whıch does not turn grand and frozen dıctums ınto
laws of exıstence, recognızes that truth ıs nobody’s monopoly. A
socıety respectful to dıfferent vıews, varıous expectatıons and
ready to acknowledge the need for ınstıtutıons and organızatıons
that protect ındıvıduals’ rıghts to lıve peacefully together.
Is ıt easy to achıeve? Is ıt possıble for everybody, ın the same
breath, and wıthout any exceptıon agree on an understandıng
of a socıety descrıbed above?
Brıtısh phılosopher Karl Popper, who developed the ıdea of “Open
Socıety” and turned ıt a polıtıcal concept wıdely accepted across
the world, does not thınk so. “… [T]hıs cıvılızatıon has not yet fully
recovered from the shock of ıts bırth — the transıtıon from the
trıbal or ‘enclosed socıety,’ wıth ıts submıssıon to magıcal forces,
to the ‘open socıety’ whıch sets free the crıtıcal powers of man.”
The key concepts ın hıs defınıtıon of Open Socıety are the freedom
of crıtıcal powers and capabılıtıes of human mınd, ındıvıdual’s
unlımıted freedom to communıcate wıth the outer world, a crıtıcal
mınd that would enable contınuous development and change.
Open Socıety ıs an envıronment where everythıng can be freely
dıscussed and debated and where there ıs no place for taboos, ın
other words the obstacles to change. Open socıety ıs commıtted
to democracy and contınuous change, defends the rıghts of
communıtıes and ındıvıduals agaınst authorıtarıan systems. Its
objectıve ıs to further empower the cıvıl socıety to enable the
ındıvıdual to decıde on hıs or her own lıfe.
It ıs the Open Socıety’s aım to pave the way for the condıtıons
that would enable the ındıvıdual to freely develop hıs/her whole
potentıal. It advocates equal opportunıtıes to everybody and
objects all forms of dıscrımınatıon; upholds unıversal human
rıghts law over all personal or group ınterests, and aıms at a
socıety where the ındıvıdual can feel hımself/herself a cıtızen of
the world, leads a lıfe ın full safety wıth all hıs/her dıfferences.
And yes, Open Socıety ıs a lıvıng beıng made up of responsıble
ındıvıduals who are deeply aware of theır rıghts and freedoms,
respectıng and defendıng the rıghts of those who are dıfferent,
always guıded by theır crıtıcal mınds, an understandıng of
mutual tolerance and solıdarıty; and demandıng a transparent
and accountable government that works for ıts people.
We started our journey to uphold openness, transparency and
solıdarıty, and to raıse the awareness that dıversıty ıs a fruıtful
asset. We are not content wıth just supportıng and promotıng
these prıncıples, we aım to translate these ınto lıfe. We refuse to be
self-satısfıed wıth what we have done and are currently doıng, we
wıll always seek for more. Thıs report ıs ıntended to share wıth you
only part of what we achıeved ın our last fıve years. We wısh, and we
belıeve that there wıll be, many more years together wıth you our
frıends, when we wıll make new, better, brıghter achıevements and
reach greater number of people to accompany us get closer to the
ıdeal of Open Socıety at every step we take.
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WHY
OPEN SOCIETY?
It ıs for thıs reason that the Open Socıety Foundatıon has
started ıts actıvıtıes ın Turkey, that ıs to say, to contrıbute the
creatıon of an envıronment where the potentıal of ındıvıdual’s
crıtıcal mınd can be fully realızed, where such crıtıcal mınds are
gıven the freedom to produce ıdeas and where there ıs enough
encouragement and stımulatıon to thıs end. Everythıng we, as the
Open Socıety Foundatıon, do ın Turkey aıms and wıll contınue to
aım at makıng our contrıbutıon and support for the creatıon of
an open socıety sustaınable and lastıng.
Is freedom and democracy a right?
Yes!
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Do we need more freedom and more libertarian responses to society’s demand by the
institutions of democracy?
I am proud of each of these projects and congratulate all my colleagues who have
contributed to their successful implementation.
We have published activity reports covering Open Society Institute’s activities between 20012008.
This report summarizes our major activities during the five years from 2009, the year our
Foundation was established, to 2013.
You will see in this report that we succeeded in a relatively short time to reach a number
of people, a caring section of the society, of such a scale and diversity and that we made it
possible for them to realize their projects and supported them to raise their voice for their
respective causes.
We owe this rich diversity to our financial support policies based on firm principles and our
cooperation with other NGOs.
Yes, again!
Our aim remains unchanged…
Let us put it the other way round:
The network of Open Society Foundations is active at an international scale in 72 countries
of the world.
Are we in favor of freedom of expression and freedom of press? Would a powerful civil society
satisfy us? Do we want an independent and impartial media? Are we sensitive and respectful
to human rights?
Do we reject all forms of inequality? Do we need a responsible, accountable and transparent
government?
Yes.
The story of Open Society in Turkey dating back to August 2001 is concordant to the stories
of those who have been looking for meaningful answers to the above questions.
I have always felt myself delighted to work with a team I am honored to be a part of for the
realization of the open society ideal, to contribute to our shared vision to get closer to this
ideal in an organization first set up as an institute, thereafter since 2009, operating as a
foundation.
The funds needed for such large scale activities are provided by George Soros, the founder
of this network, who is widely accepted to be the most successful investor of the Wall Street
history. As you will see in this report the Open Society Foundation in Turkey enjoys an
average yearly allocation of TL 4 million from this fund.
The Open Society Foundation Turkey will continue, just as it has done until now, to use this
fund in the most ethical and proper manner to build a better future for our country.
Those who are committed to the open society ideal have always taken the side of the
individual and the society for nearly half a century.
Similarly Open Society Foundation in Turkey will continue with its efforts, just as before, to
cooperate with public and civil society, for the fulfilment of the criteria of an open society,
institutionalization of basic rights and freedoms, rule of law and a pluralistic democracy.
Now our Foundation is five years old.
Sincerely,
Open Society Foundation carried out its activities throughout its history in line with the
principles of pluralistic democracy based on rule of law, without favoring any political party
or ideological position.
İshak Alaton
Board Chairman
Open Society Foundation, Turkey
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ANOTHER FIVE
YEARS’ WORK
FOR THE
OPEN SOCIETY
IDEAL
Its professional staff limited in number but dedicated to our cause and its advisory board
comprising distinguished, visionary and voluntary members, supported numerous projects
with a social impact reaching far beyond their budgets.
Throughout the course of these 252 projects funded by our Foundation the number of
people we have reached (by means of seminars, training courses, meetings, neighborhood
visits) totaled 755,774!
75
NGOs
Looking back many years from now it’s very likely that we will remember 2013 as the year
when Turkey’s young generations rose to defend their rights and freedoms, resorting to only
a refined sense of humor instead of violence and staging a resistance at such a scale and in
such a manner to astonish the whole world. Still it’s very likely that 2014 will be remembered
as the year when Turkey felt most urgently the need for good governance, transparency and
administrative monitoring. These two experiences taking place during the period covering
the second half of 2013 and the first months of 2014, the period when this report was
being prepared, proved once again that Turkey’s need for an open society stems from such
substantial, actual reasons.
As a matter of fact the open society ideal goes beyond Turkey’s borders, reflecting and
expressing a universal vision.
5 years, 252 projects
The Open Society Foundation Turkey, since its establishment on 1 January 2009, supports
individuals and organizations that carry out scientific, social and cultural activities aiming
at the development of a society more sensitive to human rights, to democracy and to
universal values. With this activity report we are sharing with you an important part of our
activities during the five years between 2009-2013.
During this period we supported hundreds of projects. In some of these projects we actually
took part in their implementation and there were others which were directly initiated by us,
as the Open Society Foundation. However the largest part of the projects was carried out in
cooperation with organizations with which we shared common values and which we were
pleased to provide support. It is impossible to give a complete and thorough statistical data
about all the work done with our support, but we can provide a summary of the outcome in
more general terms:
In this five-year period we supported and provided funds for a total of 252 projects
implemented by 75 NGOs including TOG (Community Volunteers Foundation), TESEV
(The Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation), DİTAM (Tigris Communal
Research Center), DİSA (Diyarbakır Institute for Political and Social Research) SALT,
15
PUBLIC
INSTITUTIONS
252
PROJECTS
755,774
PEOPLE
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10
“OPEN”
REFLECTIONS
ON THE FIRST
FIVE YEARS
TÜSEV (Third Sector Foundation of Turkey), Anatolian Culture, KAMER (Women’s
Center Foundation) and LGBT organizations; and 15 Public Institutions such as Koç,
Bilgi, Kültür and Boğaziçi Universities.
110 surveys were conducted, 355 publications (books, brochures, magazines, films) were
produced and 22 interactive informative websites were launched within the framework
of these projects.
1613 press reports were published in newspapers and periodicals as well as news
broadcast in TV channels.*
110
SURVEYS
22
WEB
SITES
355
PUBLICATIONS
1613
PRESS
REPORTS
*Data about the media
coverage were obtained
from Ajans Press’ database.
During this 5-year period a total of TL. 11,617,688 were spent for supporting projects
conducted by NGOs and public institutions.
Total Amount Of Grants Between
2009-2013 (tl)
41
26
15
5
26
98
11,617,688
41
12
2009
NUMBER OF
RESEARCHES
BY YEARS
Provided funds to human rights organizations in the USA after September 11 attacks
to prevent the security measures from violating freedoms. For example supported
organizations protecting Muslim refugees’ rights.
5
12
7
Started a wide scale campaign in the EU countries against rising racism in recent years.
59
Total number
of researches:
110
2009
2010
On the other hand, being a part of a network which for many years realized numerous
daring projects across the world, our efforts at local level for greater democracy and
27
2011
As can be seen from the above examples working for the open society ideal needs to
wage a different struggle depending on country and period in question. Work done for
sending photocopy machines in a country for freedom of expression, or distributing
fruit and vegetable seeds in another place under embargo, or supporting scientists living
under authoritarian regimes to flee from their country to save their lives, or aiding
scientist in another country to carry on with their endeavors, are all based on shared
fundamental values. It is just for this reason that our manner of working, methods
of supporting projects or our priorities can vary from one country to other, while our
fundamental values remain unchanged. What determines the areas of our support is not
our own choice but the taboos in the country we are based, the practices undermining
freedom of expression, groups who find themselves in a disadvantaged position because
of prejudices and discrimination.
2012
In 2008 Open Society Foundation was founded to provide our organization, which
had acquired comprehensive experience and expertise during these years, with a better
defined legal structure. This report is a summary of our Foundation’s first 5 years’ work.
Total number of
benefıcıarıes:
39,338
2013
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Total number
of partıcıpants:
154,171
Open Society Institute was founded as an outcome of a process whereby nearly 200
meetings were held with opinion makers, politicians, academics and activists from all
quarters of society and carried out its activities for eight years as an institute. Activity
reports covering the first 8 years can be found on its website.
2010
18,654
15,445
24,571
2011
36,295,926
Donated USD 1 billion to Russia in the aftermath of the Cold War, believing that the
West should feel responsible for the country’s situation. USD 100 million of this sum
was spent for helping Russian scientists to help them remain in their country and keep
working.
2012
Supplied electricity and water to Sarajevo in 1990s when the city was under blockade;
fruit and vegetable seeds were distributed to the Sarajevo people to help them grow their
own food.
We have a history of 15 years in Turkey. The three years between 1999-2001 was a
period of research and evaluation when we sought the answers for questions as to
whether the Open Society Network founded by the US investor George Soros should
extend its activities to cover Turkey as well, if yes what kind of a structure it should
adopt, and to whom we should invite to take part in its foundation.
2,711
2,265
303
Offered scholarships to black students in South Africa during 1980s when the country
was under the Apartheid regime to enable them to attend universities of whites.
To ta l B u d g e t O f Pr o j e c t s W h ı c h
Were Supported By Open Socıety
F o u n d a t ı o n Tu r k e y ( t l )
A history of 15 years
13,289
20,770
The history of the Network dates back to 1979 when it was first founded in New York. Its
priority areas were democracy, human rights and education. Here are some examples of
the Network’s international support programs:
Sent photocopy machines to dissident intellectuals living under Central European
regimes to reproduce their writings as they couldn’t have their works published by state
controlled printing houses.
The story of Open Society Foundation, Turkey is not limited to the figures given above,
or the witnesses and stories you will find in this report, or only the 5 years this report
covers.
48,120
47,381
As it is known Open Society Network is an international non-governmental
organization funded by George Soros. The network today operates in 72 countries and
comprises liaison offices, institutes, thematic programs and national foundations.
NUMBER OF
BENEFICIARIES
BY YEARS
2013
Reform
Media
Gender
Disadvantaged Groups
Civil Society
European Union
Education
NUMBER OF
PARTICIPANTS
BY YEARS
Facing challenges
13
NUMBER OF
PROJECTS BY
FIELD OF ACTIVITY
pluralism and our support to initiatives aiming the same were used as a grounds
for putting us at the center of a number of conspiracy theories. We even faced grave
accusations and even allegations beyond imagination.
However we were quite aware, right from the start, that in Turkey and elsewhere in
the world to stand against oppression, violence and exclusion of all kinds, as well
as supporting nonviolent and creative methods would not be easy and it would very
likely attract severe negative responses. Still trying to explain what and why we do,
while at the same time taking care to be local and transparent as much as possible is
a serious challenge which sometimes can be very discouraging. But we don’t have any
other chance: just like Sisyphus we, after losing the battle every evening, continue next
morning at the sun rise our efforts to make Turkey a more open society.
124
40
14
102
75
Some examples:
14
The woman we met at KAMER’s center in Erzincan whose throat was cut by her
husband. It was during KAMER’s field work we supported. Carrying the scar on her
neck and in her heart, she was sharing with other women who faced domestic violence,
her experience of overcoming the trauma and starting a new life, and encouraging them
to do the same.
70,500
52,000
44,515
20,500
54,750
We saw that hope in the eyes of this woman.
NUMBER OF
TRAININGS/
MEETINGS/PANEL
DISCUSSIONS/
WORKSHOPS
BY YEARS
In short we enjoy a very good team, visionary strategies built on the needs of the society
and resources to realize our aims. Then there’s not much left to say, except: Let’s keep
going side by side!
352
831
421
134
Gökçe Tüylüoğlu
Executive Director
Open Society Foundation, Turkey
321
2009
2010
2011
2012
We are delighted and deeply motivated by the commitment we see in the eyes of the
opinion leaders who work selflessly for Turkey’s EU membership and continue to make
Total number of
fılms/exhıbıtıons:
424
2013
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Total number
of copıes
dıssemınated:
242,265
Mediterranean Children Art Atelier and Etude Centre founded in Mersin with our
support is now turned into a permanent institution by the Ministry of Family and Social
Policies. The happiness we saw in the eyes of a small boy at this Center was another
source of hope for us. He was trying to express how he felt with such an enthusiasm:
“Miss, our home has only one room where all the family members live together. But here
I now have a room where I can be on my own to study my lessons.” And many more
examples…
We have already identified the strategic fields of activity for the coming 5-year period.
These are, improving EU-Turkey relations, efforts to stop violence against women,
work against all kinds of inequality based on gender, fighting against inequalities and
discrimination in education, reforms for more democracy, creating a basis for dialogue
between polarized social groups, supporting initiatives to confront the past and memory
studies for a more democratic society and projects to improve freedom of media and
expression.
2009
I mean all the individuals, one by one, who make up the 755,000 people we have
reached, as I mentioned above.
We are proud that the international Open Society Network attaches importance to and
supports our activities.
66
2010
NUMBER
OF COPIES
DISSEMINATED
BY YEARS
We have a very strong and effective Board of Directors guiding us with its visionary
approach and suggestions. Similarly our Advisory Board, which decides on the projects
that we will support, made up of competent and influential members representing every
single region and thousands of different colors of Turkey help us to draw the line of our
activities. (The Advisory Board of Open Society Foundation, Turkey, as is the case with
elsewhere in the world, identifies the projects eligible for our support. The names of the
Board members can be found at the end of this part.)
157
2011
People we meet, talk and we cooperate with and people who inspire us convey this hope
with the look in their eyes, with their words, and with their smile.
It was this hope that enabled us to leave behind the 15 years’ work of Open Society and 5
years’ work of our Foundation in Turkey and with this hope we continue our journey.
2012
During this journey, there’s no doubt that we go through extraordinary experiences
that give us the courage, energy and resilience to go on with strong motivation and
hopefulness.
130
37
34
Let’s continue our journey side by side
2013
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Total number
of publıcatıons:
355
But we have thousands of hopes
every effort by arranging contacts and seeking solutions at every visit to Turkey and
every meeting in the EU capital organized by the Independent Commission on Turkey
which was set up 10 years ago by our Foundation and which continues its activities
successfully since then.
15
NUMBER OF
PUBLICATIONS
BY YEARS
NUMBER OF FILM
SCREENINGS AND
EXHIBITIONS
ORGANIZED
BY YEARS
Total number:
2,059
Advısory Boards 2009-2013
NUMBER OF
PROJECTS
SUPPORTED
BY YEARS
NUMBER OF
WEBSITES OPENED
BY YEARS
TOTAL AMOUNT
OF GRANTS BY
SIZE (TL)
2
9
4
71
84,191
33
511,966
11,021,532
35
Murat Sungar (Chaır), Hakan Altınay, Nebahat Akkoç,
Mustafa Akyol, Ayhan Bilgen, Ferhat Boratav,
Ruşen Çakır, Necdet İpekyüz and Sedat Yurtdaş.
67
5
46
2
Advısory Board, 2013:
Advısory Board, 2012:
main grant
small grant
travel grant
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2009
Advısory Board, 2011:
16
Hakan Altınay (Chaır), Asaf Savaş Akat, Sabih Ataç,
Ferhat Boratav, Temel İskit, Şebnem Karauçak,
Mehmet Kaya, Elisabeth Özdalga and Murat Sungar.
TOTAL AMOUNT
OF GRANTS BY
YEARS (TL)
TOTAL AMOUNT
OF GRANTS
BY FIELD OF
ACTIVITY (TL)
NUMBER OF
PROJECTS BY TYPE
OF SUPPORT
Advısory Board, 2010:
3,347,945
3,250,239
2,294,406
2,076,562
65
2,085,569
117
2,314,282
70
1,101,654
226,230
1,198,555
1,596,630
1,852,268
1,891,036
Can Paker (Chaır), Hakan Altınay, Nurcan Baysal,
Ferhat Boratav, Eyüp Can, Temel İskit, Şebnem Karauçak,
Elisabeth Özdalga and Murat Sungar.
Advısory Board, 2009:
Can Paker (Chaır), Suay Aksoy, Nurcan Baysal,
Eyüp Can, Zülfü Dicleli, Melih Fereli, Temel İskit,
Şebnem Karauçak and Murat Sungar.
17
2010
2011
2012
2013
Total websıte
number:
22
Hakan Altınay (Chaır), Asaf Savaş Akat, Ayhan Bilgen,
Ferhat Boratav, Ruşen Çakır, Necdet İpekyüz,
Şebnem Karauçak, Mehmet Kaya and Murat Sungar.
Reform
Media
Gender
Disadvantaged Groups
Civil Society
European Union
Education
main grant
small grant
travel grant
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
19
18
REFORM
NEVER AGAIN!
COMING TO
TERMS WITH
PAST AND
APOLOGY
“The first quarter of the 21st century will go down in
history as a period of confession and redemption in the world and
Turkey. The civil society has a critical role to play in this regard.
I am an entrepreneur. We all know that, supply cannot exist
without demand. It would be in vain to expect the state authority
to embark upon such a process unless there is strong demand
for it. And not just certain groups, but voices and colors from all
sectors of the society must raise this demand.” İSHAK ALATON,
From the foreword to the book “Never Again! Coming to terms
with the past and apology”
“Never Again! Coming to terms with the
past and Apology” exhibition organized
jointly by Open Society Foundation and
Anatolian Culture aimed at drawing
attention to the need to come to terms
with one’s past - one of the most important
questions of our day both in our country
and in the world in terms of societal peace.
A book and a detailed catalogue were also
published to support the exhibition which
was open between 25 October and 15
December 2013 at Depo/Tophane.
21
20
To prove that
askıng forgıveness
does not
dısempower one;
that, on the
contrary, glorıfy
the leaders who
choose to do so;
and that
to recognıze
the damage
done helps
reconcılıatıon
Willy Brandt’s apology
to Jews on behalf of
German nation by
kneeling down before
the Ghetto Monument
The book, a compilation of articles by
writers and scholars studying on coming
to terms with the past, was published
by İletisim Publishing House under the
heading “Never Again! Coming to terms
with the past and Apology”.
Striking examples were given by means of
photographs, documents, documentaries,
videos and witness accounts, as to how a
number of countries’ leaders apologized
from the victims on behalf of their states
and nations.
The exhibition was a product of hard work
and a high level of creativeness, providing
an impressive collection of how various
societies have come to terms with the
conflicts, mass murders and genocides
that caused great losses in their past.
Below are some of the cases from the
exhibition:
The apology to Jews for Holocaust on behalf
of German nation by Willy Brandt,
the prime minister of West Germany,
when he kneeled down before the
Warsaw Ghetto Monument on 7
December 1970.
Apology to the people of Chile by the
President Patricio Aylwin
on 4 March 1991, under the rule
of Pinochet (1973-1991).
An apology from France has yet to come to the
people of Algeria for the war crimes and
human rights violations it committed
in this country during the colonial
era (1830-1962) and the Algerian
Independence War that followed it.
“Lies are the anteroom of
violence and, therefore, are
incompatible with peace.
‘Terrorism’ or ‘a state of
internal war’ cannot be invoked
to justify the human rights
violations. The future of Chile
requires a process of apology
and reconciliation regarding
the irreparable wounds of
the past. Both the state and
the society that did not react
to prevent the actions of the
state bear a joint responsibility
for these wounds. I, as the
President of the State, assume
the responsibility for the entire
nation and apologize. Apology
is a must for societal peace.”
Patricio Aylwin, the then
Chilean President,
2 March 1991
left: the weekly Agos,
25 October 2013, Emre
Can Dağlıoğlu
22
restored in societies with past sufferings
by confronting the historical truths and
by introducing legal and administrative
frameworks for healing the injuries of
victims and for saying “never again!”
Apologies by the US Presidents from the
American citizens of Japanese origin
held in concentration camps during the
World War II.
The apology extended by the British Prime
Minister David Cameron on behalf of
the Great Britain Government on 15
June 2010 for the killing of 14 unarmed
demonstrators on 30 January 1972 –
the “Bloody Sunday”.
Apology by the Serbian Parliament on
31 March 2010 for the Srebrenica
Massacre in July 1995.
Bulgarian Parliament’s apology on 12
January 2012 for the repression and
assimilation practices targeting the
Turkish minority in the country within
the framework of the “Rebirth Process
Policies” during the period 1984-1990.
Apology by the Australian Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd to the Aborigines and
Torres Strait Islanders for their “Lost
Generation”, i.e. the children forcefully
separated from their families (18691969).
In realizing this project what guided us
was the belief that a society’s confrontation
with its past human rights violations is a
significant step towards becoming an open
society. In many countries of the world
transition to democracy was facilitated by
coming to terms with the past mistakes
and by recognizing the truth. This is
because the justice, not only for the past
but for today and for the future, can only be
The main message of the exhibition which
enjoyed thousands of visitors in Istanbul
and gained wide media coverage, is reflected
in the following words of Önder Özengi,
its curator: “A state’s apology should not
amount to glossing over a past crime with
a hasty excuse, or ending a period to forge
ahead; but rather, creating the necessary
conditions to ensure that past crimes are
not repeated. In this regard, the issues of
facing the past and apologizing are closely
related to questions such as what kind of a
society we want to live in and what kind of
a common future we want to create.”
In order to reach a wider audience in
2014 the exhibition will be carried to the
provinces of İzmir, Samsun, Diyarbakır,
Ankara and will be available in digital format
on the website www.birdahaasla.org.tr.
23
right: the daily Hürriyet,
20 October 2013, Gökçe
Aytulu
ANATOLIAN
CONSCIENCE
“Peace will be built by the languages that bind us
together, not when we shut ourselves off in our own little cocoons.
And only then, unlike 40 years ago, I will start to understand the
mother tongue of another without even speaking, because both
my ears and my heart will be familiar to it. When everybody
achieves self-realization in his/her own mother tongue we can
reunite in a society where our civilization’s multicultural and multiidentity qualities are revived. We will multiply with the energy
generated by all mother tongues which bond us to the other with
their suffixes, affixes, conjunctions, and all etymological elements.
This is what I believe.” LEYLA İPEKÇİ, Anatolian Conscience
25
24
To hear and
sympathıze wıth
each other,
look at other’s
experıences
through the prısm
of our conscıence,
and start wıth
questıonıng
ourselves
before others
above: the daily Sabah,
8 September 2011,
Mahmut Övür
We had only one objective in mind when
we started preparing our book “Anatolian
Conscience” published in 2011, where we
elaborated on the Kurdish question with
an approach driven by human stories
and not by ideologies, convictions or
commonplace suggestions: to show that in
a country with big past traumas everybody
could look at other’s sufferings while at
the same time grieving for his/her own. To
this end we selected a number of incidents
and experiences deeply engraved in our
collective memories and invited poets,
writers and opinion makers to tell us their
reflections and memories in connection
with each incident.
Our collection of articles printed in
more than 20,000 copies in Turkish
and Kurdish, was prepared in a spirit
based on our conviction that no onesided perspective can be capable of
comprehending a social reality in an allround manner with all its dimensions and
received significant media coverage. Medical
above right: the daily
Taraf, 31 August 2011
below right: the daily
Radikal, 9 April 2011
Doctor and human rights activist Necdet
İpekyüz’s article “Where the ember falls”,
and the Vice President of Journalists and
Writers Foundation and journalist Cemal
Uşşak’s “Words afflict deeper wounds”
are the pieces which express the spirit of
the whole book. İpekyüz tells us how he
faced with his own prejudices when he
above left: photograph:
Atilla Durak
“When their daughter whom
they named ‘Hicret’ (Turkish
word for migration) to ensure
that they would never forget
what they had gone through,
asked questions like: ‘Is
Mardin very far away dad?
Our village is there, isn’t it?
Shall we go there?’ Her father
had no choice but tell her fairy
tales: ‘My girl, there are evil
spirits there, all houses are
empty, we cannot go.’ But it’s
not that easy to answer the
father’s question: ‘I assured
my daughter by such tales, but
how will I be able to assure
myself? Those evil spirits dwell
in me. How can I exorcize
them, how can I free myself
from them for good?’”
left: photograph: The
archive of daily Sabah
left below: photograph:
Atilla Durak
above: photograph:
The personal archive of
Orhan Miroğlu
“On Internal
Displacements”, Bahar
Şahin Fırat, Istanbul Bilgi
University
expected hostility towards Kurds from
a family he met in the Black Sea region;
and Uşşak proves that conscience has no
color, no language, no religion and no sect
when, reflecting on the ban on Kurdish
language, he says: “I cannot talk on behalf
of others, but I personally apologize to my
Kurdish brothers and sisters and ask their
forgiveness.”
She will be at her 17 forever:
“Serap Eser was a high-school
student at her last year. She
was on her way home in
Kanarya neighborhood in
Küçükçekmece, Istanbul, in
a city bus on 8 November
2009. She was just about to
get off the bus when six men
with masks on their faces
dropped Molotov cocktails in
the bus. Serap was trapped
in the flames and died on 24
December 2009. Her elder
brother Umit Eser wrote in
the serapeser.blogspot.com he
opened in the memory of his
sister: “Turkey covered this
shame with solid earth. The
only blame that can be put on
my sister is going to school and
her only weapon was the books
in her school bag. She died at
17 and will be at 17 forever.”
On the Molotov cocktail
thrown in the bus - Ferda
Balancar, journalist,
researcher, writer.
27
26
photograph: Hasan
Saltık, personal archive
} TESEV
“The Foundation aims to conduct studies on major
issues Turkey faces, offer alternative solutions, create an impact
on policy-making processes to solve the country’s chronic
problems and enhance public awareness on these issues. Its main
purpose is to contribute to the democratization of Turkey.” From
TESEV’s vision
We, as the Open Society initially operating
as a liaison office, then as a representation
bureau and since 2009 as a national
foundation have been one of the main
supporters of those TESEV’s activities
which are in line with the open society
ideal. Working on three main fields, namely
Democratization Program, Foreign Policy
Program and Good Governance Program,
TESEV’s objective is to lay down the
foundations of democratization in the civil
society, by encouraging freedom of speech
on taboo issues of Turkey, embracing a wide
diversity of different views, disseminating
information, and enhancing public
awareness.
During the period covered by our Activity
Report TESEV published more than 100
books in English and Turkish, organized
numerous events, conferences and publicity
meetings.
Even taking a look at a selection of TESEV
books published between 2009-2013 one
can notice the wide range of Turkey’s vital
questions that the Foundation is dealing with.
In the book “EU-Turkey Relations: Towards
a Constructive Re-engagement?” Aycan
Akdeniz, a member of EU Turkey Delegation
provides an assessment of the “tentative
optimism” observed in the light of the recent
developments following the period when
EU-Turkey relations came to a standstill.
29
28
The Turkısh
Economıc and
Socıal Studıes
Foundatıon
31
30
“Judicial Reform Packages: Evaluating
Their Effect on Rights and Freedoms”
authored by Naim Karakaya and Hande
Özhabeş, focuses on the four judicial reform
packages introduced from 2001 on and
evaluates them from the perspective of
freedom of expression, right to personal
liberty and security, right to a fair trial and
the criminal execution system.
The report titled “Communicating
Democracy – Democratizing
Communication: Media in Turkey –
Legislation, Policies, Actors” prepared
by Esra Elmas and Dilek Kurban offers a
comprehensive critical analysis of Turkish
media in view of the social, political and
ethical task of democratization.
Dilek Cindoğlu, in her report “Headscarf
Ban and Discrimination: Professional
Headscarved Women in the Labor
Market” gives an account of problems,
discriminatory practices and obstacles the
headscarved women face in their workplace
just because of their headscarves despite
their high education and professional
background.
In addition to its publications TESEV
organizes meetings, panel discussions and
workshops at home and abroad to continue
with its search for solutions and exchange
of views.
For a holıstıc
approach to
ınequalıtıes, not
focusıng only
economıc ınjustıce
or dealıng
exclusıvely wıth
ıdentıty-based
dıscrımınatıon,
but lookıng
at both wıth a
comprehensıve
understandıng of
“ınequalıty”
SOCIAL
POLICY
FORUM:
RESEARCH ON
INEQUALITIES
IN TURKEY
A heart-rending fact
The daily Milliyet, 2 May
2012
from the report:
“[This study] helps us to recognize that an environment where constitutional rights prevail aiming at social inclusion
supported by a shared political will is a must if we aspire to live
in a society that is made up of free and equal individuals and
that enables the exercise of freedoms based on equality. I believe
this also conveys a message which should be attached great
importance while making efforts for the restructuring of politics”
Prof. Dr. AYŞE BUĞRA, Research Advisor
OECD countries in terms of child poverty.
318,000 of the total number of children of
school age between 6-14 years are working.
Around 6% of the children in the age bracket of
33
32
“Turkey ranks the top amongst the
6-17 work in wage-earning jobs and 70% of these
do not attend school. 23,683 children in the eastern
provinces of Diyarbakır, Batman, Adana, Adıyaman,
Şanlıurfa and Gaziantep work as seasonal
agricultural workers. Between the years
1999-2005, i.e. in 6 years around 440,000
children joined the labor market without
receiving their primary school
diplomas.
The research “Inequalities in Turkey:
Search for a Comprehensive Conceptual
Framework” conducted by Boğaziçi
University Social Policy Forum was led by
Prof. Dr. Ayşe Buğra as the advisor and Asst.
Prof. Dr. Ayşen Candaş as the director.
The study was driven by the belief
that political/civil and social rights are
interrelated and therefore an improvement
in one of these would support positive
changes in the other. The ultimate aim was
to establish a conceptual bridge between
these two within a framework based on a
holistic understanding of human rights.
To this end a series of open-ended face-toface in-depth interviews were conducted
with individuals experiencing different types
of inequalities in Istanbul through Social
Assistance and Solidarity Foundations
established in every district of the city and
the NGOs supporting or established by
disadvantaged groups.
The report prepared as an output of
this research and launched during an
international conference organized by the
Social Policy Forum in June 2010 revealed
extraordinarily striking findings about
permanent inequalities in Turkey.
The two aspects of the topic, the socioeconomic inequalities and inequalities
based on discrimination, which are often
treated like alternatives to each other are
dealt with as an inseparable whole in the
report. It illustrates how interwoven and
interactive are the socio-economic equalities
in areas such as distribution of income,
employment, social security, education and
political representation on the one hand,
and discrimination-driven inequalities and
therefore how they perpetuate each other.
The report won the “Milliyet Örsan Öymen
Research Award” in 2010 on grounds of it’s
being “a scientific work analyzing Turkey’s
political and social structure within a
constitutional framework.”
“As a result here is the picture
we get: Some groups in
Turkey suffer greatly both
socio-economic inequality
and inequality based on
discrimination. Moreover
these groups, deprived of
political representation
cannot politicize their
problems. This results in
a vicious circle and they
gradually alienate from
the society and political
mechanisms altogether.”
Ayşen Candaş, Research
Director – The daily
Milliyet, 18 July 2010
MEDITERRANEAN
CHILDREN ART
ATELIER AND
ETUDE CENTRE
“The rate of absenteeism dropped. Children are much
more motivated to attend the school. Undernutrition amongst
Roma children due to their economically disadvantaged families
undermined their ability to concentrate. Our contacts with the
Governor’s Office bore fruit and now our Center enjoys two free
meals a day. The Etude Centre both increased their performance
at school and enabled them to discover a totally new world by
participating in social activities and sightseeing tours. The teachers’
approach to children has also changed in the course of time. In short
Centre proved that a different life was possible.” HACER FOGGO,
Project Advisor
35
34
For Roma chıldren
to freely express
themselves ın
an envıronment
of equal
opportunıtıes for
access to the rıght
of educatıon and
of respect to theır
ıdentıty, culture
and lıfe style
At the
Mediterranean
Children Art Atelier and
Etude Center
Roma constitute one of the groups suffering
the severest discrimination in Turkey and
in the world. The most effective factor
underpinning this gruesome reality is the
Roma communities’ low education level.
Main problems to be addressed in this field
are the low school attendance, high dropout rates and poor quality of the education
they receive. The families’ lack of adequate
financial means and the discrimination
Roma children encounter at school are two
major reasons for such low education level.
Roma associations in the Mediterranean
region of Turkey joined forces and carried
out a research, finding out that the
common problems of their community
prevailed in their region to the highest
extent. Discrimination in the labor
market was severe, resulting in very high
unemployment rates. Roma children were
born to a world of utmost uncertainty
and grew up under these circumstances.
They got together and decided to launch
an initiative in Mersin that would set an
• Professional teachers assist children
above: Roma quarter in
Mersin
below: Mediterranean
Children Art Atelier and
Etude Center, music
workshops
of 7-13 ages during etude hours in studying
their school courses.
• They are given rhythm courses at the Rhythm
Atelier by a master musician and give concerts
at events organized by the schools in their
vicinity and by other
cultural centers.
• They are taken to city tours and
they take part in various cultural
and art festivals.
“Our homes have always
only one room. I have always
longed for a room of my own
to study my lessons. I don’t
need it anymore, because we
have our Etude Center now.”
A student of the Etude
Center.
An exemplary
cooperation with public
authorities:
• The Federation opened 19 literacy courses
as well as needlecraft and overlock courses to
help Roma women acquire professional qualifications in
cooperation with Public Education Center.
• Organizes every year the traditional Hıdrellez early spring
36
their certificates, opened up employment opportunities by organizing
straw plaiting and umbrella manufacturing courses for Roma in
coordination with the Governor’s Office of Mersin, ISKUR (Public
Employment Agency) and Public Education Center.
• Organizes note reading and solfège classes for Roma children in
cooperation with the Governor’s Office of Mersin, Mediterranean
Provincial National Education Directorate and
Public Education Center.
• Took part in the Conference organized by the
National Education Ministry in 2011 on “Access to
Quality Education by Children Under Risk
– Roma Children and Education”.
Mediterranean Children
Art Atelier and Etude
Center, etude hour
example to the region and to Turkey as
a whole. This was how Mediterranean
Children Art Atelier and Etude Center was
set up.
When Mediterranean Roma Associations
Federation approached us for support we
welcomed this undertaking as a Foundation
giving priority to initiatives in support
of efforts to enable members of different
identities to live as equal citizens.
The Federation worked in perfect
coordination with public authorities in
turning the Center into a permanent
institution and set an example for joint
initiatives by public authorities and the
civil society.
The success of the Etude Center drew the
attention of the Ministry of Family and
Social Policies which supported the project
to ensure its sustainability and helped them
to move to a new 5-storey building.
It’s obvious that a single successful project
cannot eradicate the grave conditions of
discrimination the Roma children are
constantly facing, however the pioneering
initiative launched by the Mediterranean
Roma Associations Federation is capable
of being a model for the efforts to provide
Roma children with equal opportunities to
access the right of education and lower their
high drop-out levels at school.
37
festivities with the support of municipalities.
• Started a Bamboo Furniture Workshop where 19 youngsters got
PROJECTS
OF THE CIVIL
SOCIETY IN THE
PENAL SYSTEM
ASSOCIATION
“I have been in prison for 16 years. Before my
prison days I was a student at the faculty of medicine. I wanted
to continue my higher education in the prison and entered the
university entry examinations. I won the Information Management
Department of the University of Anatolia where the classes are
attended through internet. I wrote to the Justice Ministry and
the Prison Administration for permission to receive on-line
education and they accepted. Now there were no technical or
administrative obstacles, however a much more surmountable
obstacle was waiting for me. I don’t have the TL.1600 to pay the
tuition [around $800 dollars] required for this department. My
father died while I was in prison and my mother lives on an oldage pension.” From a letter sent to our Foundation
part of all concerned stakeholders was
among our priorities as the Open Society
Foundation right from the start.
We hope this project will pioneer the efforts
for enabling inmates’ inclusion in the
social life and generating opportunities
and resources to realize social justice with
increasing support from civil society.
The project was therefore in perfect
concordance with our Foundation’s
objectives in the field of education.
The project bore fruits which were deeply
meaningful for us. During the first two
years of the project we contributed to more
than 50 prisoners’ enrolment to university.
Afterwards the government introduced
tuition exemption for detainees and
convicts which ensured the sustainability of
the project’s success.
CISST draws attention to the significance
of participation of prisoners in educational
activities up to European Union standards
and norms and to the need to take into
consideration individual’s social, economic
and cultural background in conducting such
activities. Enabling the civil society to act as
a pressure group for the implementation of
EU norms and standards in this respect is
one of the top priorities of the Association.
From Recommendation Rec
(2006)2 by the Council of Europe,
Committee of Ministers on the European Prison
Rules:
28-1: Every prison shall seek to provide all prisoners
with access to educational programmes which are as
comprehensive as possible and which meet their individual
needs while taking into account their aspirations.
28-2: Priority shall be given to prisoners with literacy and
Scholarship Project for Detainees and
Convicts
It was these words that set us on action. It
was not hard to guess that there were many
others in prisons facing similar difficulties.
We contacted the Civil Society in the Penal
System Association (CISST) which we knew
was working hard to improve conditions of
prisons in Turkey to meet the international
standards. Since 2008 we have been
providing support to activities of CISST,
one of which was the Scholarship Project
for Detainees and Convicts. In case of
those in prisons who succeed in university
entry exams but cannot enroll due to
economic reasons the Project provides aid
in order for them not to lose this chance
of lifetime importance. Making efforts for
the creation of favorable conditions for
equal opportunities in accessing education,
encouraging the development of policies
to this end and raising awareness on the
numeracy needs and those who lack basic or vocational education.
28-3: Particular attention shall be paid to the education of young
prisoners and those with special needs.
28-7: As far as practicable, the education of prisoners shall:
a. be integrated with the educational and vocational training
system of the country so that after their release they
may continue their education and vocational training
without difficulty; and
b. take place under the auspices of external
educational institutions.
“I am a drop-out from highschool. I realized better in
prison what lack of education
had done to me. I enrolled to
open high school and finished
it. I then took the university
entry exams and won fouryear business administration
department. My family was
delighted. We are 7 children
in our family. It was a big
surprise to me when my two
brothers who were also dropouts from high-school said
to me “we will follow you”.
I learned that they had also
enrolled in open high-school. I
was thrilled. After graduation
I will complete my two years’
traineeship and then work
as an independent financial
advisor.”
H.G., 22, studying business
administration with the
scholarship provided by the
CISST project.
39
38
For the rıght
to equal
opportunıtıes
for access to
educatıon,
for openıng the
doors of prısons
to educatıon,
for detaınees
and convıcts
losıng the chance
to attend the
unıversıty
due to lack of
fınancıal sources
“Prisons should be the
responsibility of not only the
Ministry of Justice, but also
of the society. Because those
who are sent to prisons are
the product of the society.
We aim to bring the physical
conditions in prisons up to
the international standards
and prevent human rights
violations.”
Zafer Kıraç, Project
Coordinator
Another initiative by CISST in 2011 we
supported was the Civil Society and
Prisons Project. The aim was to mobilize
the NGOs working for various vulnerable
groups to address the problems of the
special needs prisoners and to bring these
needs to the attention of the civil society.
This was a project to serve as a model for
NGOs operating in different areas such as
education, arts, health and human rights to
join forces for a common cause.
What motivated CISST to develop this
project was the fact that the prisons in
Turkey kept totally outside the supervision
of the civil society and that the widespread
prejudices against prisoners contribute
to both civil society’s and government
authorities’ lack of proper concern for the
problems in prisons.
University undertook the responsibility of
programming the workshop hours and the
Bilgi University organized human rights
courses for the prison directors and guards.
Project for the Prevention of Human
Rights Violations in F-Type High
Security Prisons in Turkey
Duysal Karakuş,
psychologist, a member of
the project team
This project undertaken by the CISST
aimed to contribute to the creation of
conditions in prisons in compliance with
human rights norms, provide a sustainable
model for this purpose; reduce the isolation
of prisoners in this type of prisons and to
pave the way for the introduction of new
legal and administrative arrangements for
the improvements needed in this respect.
The NGOs working with special needs
groups and taking part in the Project set up
dedicated groups to visit and examine the
conditions in 15 prisons in Istanbul for one
and a half years, observing the conditions
in the wards, workshops and shared spaces
in the prisons. The findings were compiled
in reports prepared for each prison and the
reports were presented to the relevant public
authorities and stakeholders.
The project covered 13 F-type prisons
in 9 provinces, namely Adana, Ankara,
Bolu, Edirne, İzmir, Kırıkkale, Kocaeli,
Tekirdağ and Van, accommodating a total
of 4,600 prisoners and around 1,700
employees. During the process not only
the representatives of human rights and
professional organizations, but also the
former convicts, prison administrators,
guards and officials from the General
Directorate of Prisons and Detention
Houses were consulted and their views and
suggestions were sought.
A number of universities contributed to
the project as well. The Doğuş University
supported vocational courses for prisoners,
the Galatasaray University helped to
ease the difficulties experienced by the
teachers working in prisons, while the Koç
Upon the completion of the project the
meeting “Life in F-Type High Security
Prisons: Problems of the Prisoners and
Employees and Suggestions for Solution”
was organized with the participation of all
stakeholders in this field in Ankara.
41
40
“Civil Society and Prison” Project
“I am supposed to make
observations about the impact
on the employees in prisons,
am I?” I had asked. Then I
answered, “all right, I will.”
But I had a big question mark
in my mind. Why should I
study employees instead of
prisoners? I guess this was due
to my prejudice that the only
people who suffer in F-type
prisons were the prisoners.”
The findings of the project were
evaluated in a declaration where
The daily Radikal,
6 March 2010,
Umay Aktaş Salman
suggestions were also listed for the solution of
the problems identified some of which can be found
below:
• Prison authorities and NGO representatives should be
in close contact and work in close cooperation. The Ministry
of Justice should not see human rights associations as its
adversaries.
• Inpatient treatment centers should be established in F-type
prisons to address the problem of increasing number of prisoners
with cancer and other chronic diseases as a result of living
conditions and traumas experienced. Sustainability of the health
care services should be ensured.
• Economic and employment conditions of guards who
are in close contact with prisoners should be improved.
• Reactionary and punitive approaches increase
tensions. Disciplinary actions should be the
last measure to resort to.
YOUNG PEOPLE
OF TURKEY
SPEAK OUT
“Oral history is a discipline of studying in a professional manner the narratives of ordinary people about their
past and the present state of affairs and sharing them with
the public. We hope this project contributes to the efforts for
coming to terms with the past, democratization and reconciliation
in Turkey.” Prof. Dr. LEYLA NEYZİ, Sabancı University, Project
Director
This was a project we supported drawing on
our conviction that the democratization of
the Turkish society starts with the liberation
of the individual – a project arguing that
the liberation of the individual was only
possible if he/she is able to confront his/her
past, by looking at it with a critical eye.
Leyla Neyzi from the Sabancı University
directed the project which was conducted
in three phases covering the years 2011
– 2013. The project team comprising
members from the University’s Faculty of
Arts and Social Sciences visited Muğla, in
the western part of Turkey, and Diyarbakır
in the east. The team met in the two cities
young people volunteering to take part in
oral history training courses and to conduct
the field work. Following this first contact
the volunteers were invited to Istanbul to
receive oral history training at the Sabancı
University.
43
42
To develop
solutıons for our
common problems
by reflectıng on,
studyıng, learnıng
from and lıstenıng
to dıversıfıed
vıews about them,
and to make vısıble
young people’s
perceptıons and
narratıves about
theır past the young people
who can’t be
adequately vocal
despıte the fact
that they make up
the majorıty of the
populatıon
ın Turkey
From the website
“www.gencleranlatiyor.
com”
Then came the field work. 200 interviews
were made with 100 people, men and
women, most of them in their 20’s from
different socio-economic backgrounds and of
different ethnic origins in Berlin, in addition
to Muğla and Diyarbakır. The interviewees
described how they remember their past,
their families’ past, how they perceived the
present day, their experiences and expressed
their views on current social issues.
place at Hamursuz Fırın exhibition hall in
Galata, Istanbul, between 30th November29th December 2012. The exhibition
featured the narratives of the young people
and their families about their past, how they
conceived and made sense of the current
environment they lived in, the economic
activities they generated or were affected by,
their encounters and experiences.
This time it was the youngsters who
wrote the history!
The interviews made by Leyla Neyzi and
Haydar Darıcı in Diyarbakır and Muğla
as part of the project were compiled in
the book I am Free but I Have Obligations
published by the İletişim Publishing House.
The website of the project www.
gencleranlatiyor.com was opened at
the end of 2012 both with English and
Kurdish content. The most popular output
of the project was the exhibition Between
Imaginaries and Encounters: Young People
from Diyarbakır and Muğla Speak which took
Besides, the film “Encounters/Lack of
Encounters”, an impressive output of
the project, can be accessed through the
project’s website.
THE UNSPOKEN
TRUTH:
ENFORCED
DISAPPEARANCES
44
“The judiciary is unwilling to investigate the cases of
enforced disappearance, while information producing institutions
such as universities and NGOs are deliberately silent in the face
of such cases and the mainstream media use a language that
criminalizes the victims.” From the report “The Unspoken Truth:
Enforced Disappearances”
The Truth, Justice and Memory Studies
Association (The Memory Center) was set
up to document human rights violations
in the form of forced disappearances;
encourage data sharing amongst human
rights organizations working in this
area; to analyze laws and regulations that
obstruct justice and thereby to contribute
to the efforts for putting an end to the
public authorities’ impunity. We, as the
Open Society Foundation, believing in the
necessity to confront the past for societal
peace supported the Memory Center
from the very first day they started their
activities. Their project The Unspoken Truth:
Enforced Disappearances - Documentation,
Litigation and Memorialization of Enforced
Disappearances drew public attention to a
human rights violation which has for long
years remained untouched despite the
enormous sufferings it has caused.
Those committing the crime,
others hiding the facts, still others
remaining silent
Two reports compiling the findings of
the project, The Unspoken Truth: Enforced
Disappearances and Enforced Disappearances
and the Conduct of the Judiciary were
published in 2013. The first report
identifies the military personnel, village
guards, “confessors” (former armed
PKK guerillas changing sides after being
arrested) and police force members as the
perpetrators of the forced disappearances.
However it is also underlined that the
responsibility for this crime was shared
by the judiciary which evaded proper
photograph from the
website of the Memory
Center
investigation into the incidents and
information disseminating institutions
such as universities, media and NGOs
which remained silent. According to
the report since 1980, 1353 people went
missing under custody by state security
forces and 1994 was the year when the
number was the highest, with Diyarbakır
as the city which suffered most from
enforced disappearance incidents.
A striking conclusion reached in the report
Enforced Disappearances and the Conduct
of the Judiciary was that the investigations
into the 75% of the forced disappearance
cases were left incomplete and only 1%
of them have resulted with punishment.
However Turkey was found guilty in 78%
of the cases referred to the European Court
of Human Rights.
45
For the
recognıtıon of
the past human
rıghts vıolatıons;
maıntaınıng the
collectıve memory;
buıldıng peace and
reconcılıatıon;
and callıng the
authorıtıes
to account for
the vıolatıons
Suggestions by the
Memory Center for enforced
disappearances:
• Turkey should sign UN International
Convention for the Protection of All Persons from
Enforced Disappearance and fulfill its responsibilities
under the Convention.
• An independent Truth Commission should be set up by
the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
• Legal proceedings for enforced disappearance cases
should be conducted in a manner not to give rise to a
statute of limitation.
• The impunity enjoyed by the government officials
involved in human rights violations should no
longer be applicable.
• No “state secret” should be an
obstacle to proper completion of
investigations.
HRANT DİNK
FOUNDATION’S
PROJECTS
“These stories, no matter how they sound personal, or communal, are in fact stories of the ‘other’ waiting to
be heard. They will not serve their purpose until they are heard.
Because word in itself does not constitute a conversation. It is
doomed to be incomplete unless it is heard. Without anyone to
hear them words wander around for a certain time without any
impact, without any capability to reach the collective memory
effectively.” Prof. Dr. ARUS YUMUL, Sociologist
Armenians in Turkey: From Silent
Victims to Active Citizens
The root cause of all the hard work,
the meticulous survey and constructive
attempts behind Hrant Dink Foundation’s
project Armenians in Turkey: From Silent
Victims to Active Citizens” dates back to the
Court of Appeals ruling in 1974 where the
minority foundations were considered as
foreigners’ institutions. Since then minority
foundations are not allowed to buy and sell
properties. Furthermore it was a milestone
in the process whereby the properties
acquired by the foundations after 1936 were
seized by the state one by one, whereas
these properties were the only source of
income for the survival of churches, schools,
cemeteries, orphanages, i.e. the existence of
Armenians as community in Turkey.
We supported the project which identified
the question not as merely a claim for
assets and properties, but the preservation
and sustainability of cultural heritage
as well, with our belief that it would
make an important contribution to the
improvement of democratic rights of the
peoples of Turkey. The sources used in the
project were the archives of Hrant Dink,
47
46
For keepıng alıve
Hrant Dınk’s
dreams, struggle,
language
and heart;
for fosterıng an
understandıng of
cultural dıversıty
as a source of
rıchness, and to
be dıfferent as a
rıght; and for a
hıstorıography
ın Turkey free of
natıonalısm
and racısm
Agos newspaper, Lawyer Diran Bakar and
Armenian Foundations in order to address
all the aspects of the issue.
Three workshops were organized to look
into the minority foundations’ problems
covering both their historical background
and legal implications. A comprehensive
inventory of the seized immovable assets
of Armenian foundations in Istanbul was
produced. The conclusions reached were
compiled in the book: 2012 Declaration:
The Seized Properties of Armenian
Foundations in Istanbul offering an indepth analysis of the question.
“It is not the story of structures made of stone
or concrete, or of seized buildings that is told in
this book, but the story of human beings, made
of flesh and blood. The institutions mentioned
here were resources created through the
concerted efforts of a people who lived on these
lands – young and old, women and men, rich
and poor. The properties subject to wrongdoing
were material assets that provided a vital
life force into temples, schools, orphanages,
retirement homes, aid agencies, and ultimately,
an entire community. They formed the economic
bedrock upon which the social life and culture
of Armenians in Turkey was built. May this
above: Inauguration of
Habap fountains. From
the website of Hrant
Dink Foundation.
above, right: Restoration
work at Habap
fountains. From the
website of Hrant Dink
Foundation
above, left: Restoration
of Habap foundations.
From the website of the
Hrant Dink Foundation.
book record the remaining traces of this life
and culture that has been destroyed, providing
responses to questions like ‘why’ and ‘how’; so
that similar injustices do not take place in the
future...” From the foreword to the book
In the “Stories of Seizure” section five cases
of confiscation were elaborated in detail.
These were the eradication of all Kalfayan
institutions during the construction process
of the Bosphorus Bridge; the story of the
Bomonti Mıhitaryan Primary School which
continues to provide education from the
building they had once purchased, and
currently occupy as leaseholders; the process
of claiming back a building on Istiklal
Street as an example of the kind of legal
struggle rarely encountered in the Armenian
community; Kasımpaşa Surp Hagop
Church Foundation case and the story of
the Andonyan Monastery in Ortaköy that
has been abandoned to its fate. Further
details and the book produced as part of the
project can be accessed through the website
www.istanbulermenivakiflari.org.
left: The daily Milliyet,
27 November 2011,
Hasan Cemal
Habap Fountains – “Grandchildren
Are Talking” Project
“Habap”, changed to “Ekinözü” in the
Republican period, is the name of the
Heranuş Gadaryan’s village of Kovancılar
district of Elazığ (Kharpert in Armenian)
province. Heranuş Gadaryan is the
grandmother of Lawyer Fethiye Çetin,
whose story was told in Çetin’s book “My
Grandmother: A Memoir”. The book
published in 2004 became a phenomenon.
First in Turkey, then across the world it
attracted much attention and created a deep
sensitivity towards a hidden past.
For the restoration of the historical
fountain in the village many young people
came from abroad and from different places
of Turkey to take part in the work and
experienced the fulfilment of solidarity for a
meaningful purpose.
“Everybody should drink
this fountain’s water. I know
that in this process we were
all healed. It was a process
of healing for the villagers,
for others visiting the village
and for us too. Anybody who
wants to drink a cup of water
for the memory of their dead
should go there. This is a
journey of confronting the
past where everybody will face
his/her fault and the part he/
she played in this crime.”
Fethiye Çetin, Project
Director
49
48
above: Restoration of
Habap foundations.
From the website of the
Hrant Dink Foundation.
COMMUNITY
VOLUNTEERS
FOUNDATION:
HUMAN RIGHTS
FRAMEWORK
PROGRAM
18% of Turkey’s population lies within the age bracket of 15-24, corresponding to 12.5 million people. This is a striking
indication of how big a potential boasts Turkey as a developing
country. Community Volunteers Foundation works hard since
2002, now in 71 provinces of Turkey, to take part in the efforts
to make full use of this potential, to help the young people raise
their voices, contribute to their empowerment and receiving
support for them. From the book “Young People Deserve” by
Community Volunteers Foundation
Guided by its vision of enabling young
people to lead the efforts for societal peace,
for solidarity and change, the Community
Volunteers Foundation (TOG) has been
working since the first day to transform the
energy of youth into action by means of
activities centered around right-based issues
and a wide variety of other areas of social
interest. It is the biggest NGO working for
young people with its network covering
71 provinces of Turkey, with volunteers
numbering more than 40,000 carrying out
more than 1000 projects. The peer to peer
training model adopted by TOG encourages
young people reach out to and learn from
each other by working together in local and
nationwide projects. In 2013 we, as Open
Society Foundation, have supported the
Human Rights Framework Programme of
TOG. For long years the Foundation has
been carrying out activities like “Democracy
and Our Rights”, “Youth and Social Rights”
and “Living Library” within the scope
the Human Rights Framework Program.
One year long activities, namely Trainers’
Training, Seasonal Summer Projects, TOG
Attack and Living Library are part of this
program whereby hundreds of young
people are empowered in human rights
issues, supported to develop local projects
51
50
To brıng together
young people
from across
the country,
contrıbute to
theır becomıng
persons respectful
to dıfferences and
enable them to
experıence lıvıng
ın an envıronment
where a human
rıghts culture
prevaıls
above: Daily Radikal, 28
August 2013, Ayça Örer
left: TOG Sulukule
Seasonal Summer
Project
53
52
TOG Sulukule Seasonal
Summer Project
opposite page: Living
Library, Rock’n Coke
Festival 2013
to disseminate the impact and encouraged
to take the initiative to overcome the
challenges they themselves face in their
lives and those they observe in their vicinity.
They thus gain insight into and acquire
comprehensive information in areas vital
to Turkey such as children’s rights, gender
equality, social rights and elimination of
discrimination.
The seasonal summer project conducted
in Hakkari in 2013 is a good example of
how such activities contribute to building
societal peace. During this project 40 TOG
volunteers from west Anatolia, central
Anatolia and Black Sea regions stayed 15
days in Hakkari, visiting homes, workplaces
and coffee houses to get to know the local
people, established constructive dialogue
which was a unique experience whereby
both the visiting young people who had
the chance to see Hakkari for the first
time in their lives and those hosting them
went through a process of transformation.
Tayfun’s words were an impressive
indication of the life-changing impact of
the project: “I made a progress of 30 years
in one day!” Hearing him saying this,
İhsan Çölemergi, a writer from Hakkari
smiles: “For 90 years we have been taking
that oath [refers to the demand of peace]
everyday. Even rocks would fail to bear this
pressure. Am I right? What do you say? I
mean, one rose doesn’t make a spring, but
you are the rose.” Tayfun answers: “And you
are the gardener.”
SULUKULE
YOUTH
ORCHESTRA
“It is a must to set up flexible education models and
institutions that create an environment where Roma children
are enabled to express themselves without losing their love and
interest in music, to acquire professional qualifications and to
develop themselves for a secure future.” FUNDA ORAL, Project
Coordinator
Sulukule Roma Cultural Development and
Solidarity Association works since 2006 to
protect Sulukule inhabitants’ rights against
the damage done by the urban renovation
project ongoing there, and to encourage a
culture of dialogue that would eliminate
prejudices against Roma. The Association
carries out surveys and publicizes their
impressive findings. After the demolitions
in Sulukule depression became widespread
especially amongst children. 95% of
Roma youngsters in Sulukule drop school
after their secondary education. 70% of
them spend their time in traditional coffee
houses doing nothing and 20% work for
a living for their families in temporary
jobs. With a view to generate a change
in these circumstances the Association
founded jointly with the members of
Sulukule Platform the “Sulukule Children
Art Atelier” for children aged 7 and above
who are talented and eager to develop their
musical skills.
Believing firmly that discrimination is one
of the most important obstacles to the ideal
of Open Society we willingly supported
Sulukule Youth Orchestra.
The Orchestra, composed of 14 young
people between 14-17 ages, aims at offering
an opportunity of both education and
employment those Roma youngsters who
are unable to receive formal education;
thus preserving the traditional Roma music
while at the same time keeping the name
55
54
For preservıng
Sulukule Roma
musıc, enablıng
Roma young people
to contınue both
theır school
courses and
playıng musıc,
and keepıng the
memory of the
human rıght
vıolatıons ın
Sulukule alıve
above: Sulukule Youth
Orchestra during a
concert
below: Demolition work
in Sulukule
“Sulukule” alive – the neighborhood which
was the setting of one of the gravest human
rights violations resulting from urban
transformation projects.
As a moderate amount of monthly salary
is paid to the Orchestra members on
condition that they regularly attend
courses and rehearsals, one of the most
meaningful results of the project was to
offer young Roma people a new course of
career which is an alternative to playing at
wedding festivities and alcohol consumed
restaurants for a meager income. Now
the Sulukule Youth Orchestra has already
proven their professional quality and welldeveloped talent at concerts alongside with
radio and TV programs.
1964 EXILE
OF ISTANBUL
GREEKS:
“20 KILOS
20 DOLLARS”
RESEARCH
AND EXHIBITION
left below: Another
snapshot from 1964
Greek Exile
right, from top to
bottom: “Which of your
belongings would you
choose to take with you
if you were exiled with
a luggage limited to
20 kilos only?” “What
would you do if you
were ordered to leave
your country within 12
hours by taking only
20 kilos of personal
belongings with you?
50 years ago 13,000
Istanbul Greeks were
ordered to do so.” “The
1964 exile was not only
for the people but for
Istanbul’s past and
future as well.” “In 1965
nobody brought
Easter cakes, because
nobody was left.”
“Dad was going to make salad for us, and asked
mom to bring the knife. There was no answer. He insisted. Then
mom came from the kitchen crying and said: ‘We left the knife in
Heybeliada.’” From an interview in Athens
Independent Research Information and
Communication Association (BABIL) asks
the question: “What would you do if you
were ordered to leave your country within
12 hours and allowed to take with you only
20 kilos of belongings?” The question is an
invitation to the Turkish public to remember
a very little known historical fact - the 1964
Istanbul Greeks’ exile which constituted one
of the last milestones of the disappearance
of the Greek community of Istanbul.
The date 16 March 1964 is a bitter page of
the history of Turkey which is overlooked,
buried under a thick cover of silence and
very little researched, while in actual fact
constituting the turning point for Istanbul
Greeks’ lives when thousands of them had
to leave their country.
It was the last stage of the government
policies against Greeks of Asia Minor,
who were turned into a minority in a land
where they lived for centuries as a result
of population exchange in 1922 between
Greece and Turkey, then fell victim to the
Wealth Tax in 1942, and to 6-7 September
pogroms in Istanbul in 1955. This was
the process finalized by the 1964 exile
whereafter the population of Greeks of Asia
Minor has fallen to 2000 today.
An interviewee from
Kadıköy whose
neighbors were exiled
The project was named after the
Parliamentary decree issued on 16 March
1964 in Turkey ordering the Greeks in
Istanbul with Greek passports to leave the
country within 12 hours. They were allowed
to take only 20 kilos of belongings and an
amount of money equivalent to 20 dollars
with them.
BABİL, cooperating with the Universal
Federation of Greeks of Istanbul and
supported by our Foundation carried out a
field survey in Istanbul, Athens and Gökçeada
(Imvroz in Greek) and made interviews with
the people who personally experienced the
exile. Work at archives resulted in a collection
of records about the legal basis of the state
policy of exile and media coverage which
were displayed in the “20 Kilos 20 Dollars”
exhibition opened on March 2014 at Tütün
Deposu. The exhibition will then visit Ankara
and Athens as well.
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56
To shed lıght
on a very lıttle
known tragedy of
the recent past
ın Turkey, tell
the story from
the vıewpoınt of
the exıles, and
contrıbute to
the efforts for
confrontıng
our past
left above: Greeks
leaving country under
16 March
1964 decree
58
TURKEY
ROMA RIGHTS
FORUM
FOUNDED Roma
federations and associations came
together and founded Turkey Roma
Rights Forum - ROMFO in November
2012 in Istanbul to be better organized
within a structure that would develop
solutions to social, economic and
cultural difficulties faced by Romani
people of Turkey. The vision of
ROMFO is to be a non-governmental
organization totally independent
of political parties and to work for
Romani people in Turkey for enjoying
equal rights with other citizens. More
than 70 Roma association and six
Roma federations joined ROMFO
to carry out activities in areas such
as housing, urban transformation,
discrimination, employment and
education.
KUŞTEPE
CHILDREN
ETUDE
CENTER
OPENED Istanbul
Roma Florists Association set off
to find a solution to the Roma
children’s problem of absenteeism
at school. School performance of
Roma children in Istanbul’s Kuştepe
neighborhood had to be raised,
their absenteeism rate lowered,
and they should be provided with
pre-schooling education to prepare
them for the primary education.
To this end with the support of
Open Society Foundation and
Şişli Municipality the Kuştepe
Children’s Etude Center was set up
where students from the Sabancı
University and volunteering
teachers helped children with their
mathematics, Turkish, English and
various other classes in addition
to rhythm and music courses.
The Center, also organizing
literacy courses for adults, aims
to be a model for other Roma
neighborhoods in Turkey.
SURVEY ON
THE SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC
CHARACTERISTICS OF
AFRO-TURKISH
WOMEN Inadequate
data and information on Afro-Turks
who have been living in Anatolia
for centuries constitutes the biggest
obstacle to study this group. It is
for this reason that the work carried
out by the Afro-Turkish Culture
and Solidarity Association is of a
pioneering
character. The
Association
started a
demographic
survey in
2011 as a
preparation
for a program
to create awareness of the two-fold
discrimination against Afro-Turkish
women, i.e. discrimination on gender
and color basis, and empower them
in this respect. The Survey on the
Demographic Characteristics of Afro-
Turkish Women was conducted in the
province of Izmir and its close vicinity
with the support of the Ege University
Sociology Department, with a view to
draw the demographic profile of AfroTurkish women and gain insight into
their problems by listening to them.
THE PANEL
DISCUSSION
AND FORUM:
ALEVIS AND
SUNNIS
CONFRONT
“THE 28
FEBRUARY
POSTMODERN
MILITARY
COUP” Association for
Analyzing and Confronting Social
Incidents organized a panel discussion
and forum on 27 February 2011 for
discussing how to confront with the
National Security Council decisions
dated 28 February 1997 which came to
be known as a “post-modern military
coup”. In addition to distinguished
opinion makers such as Akın
Birdal, Ali Bayramoğlu and Mehmet
Bekaroğlu, representatives of Alevi
community such as Ali Kenanoğlu,
Cafer Solgun, Ercan Geçmez and of
Sunni majority such as Ali Bulaç, Berat
Özipek and Hilal Kaplan participated
the event which was another
pioneering initiative supported by
Open Society Foundation.
İSMAİL
BEŞİKÇİ
FOUNDATION:
DIYARBAKIR
ORAL
HISTORY
PROJECT İsmail
Beşikçi Foundation was set up for
the purpose of conducting and
publishing scientific, cultural and
social studies and
giving support
to activities in
these fields. We
contributed to
the Foundation’s
1915 Diyarbakır:
Oral History with Kurds project,
which inquired through personal
stories into how the 1915 tragedy was
transmitted from one generation to
another amongst Kurds, particularly
in Diyarbakır, and how it impacted
their daily economic, cultural and
social lives. The Foundation’s aim is
to publish the findings. The findings
so far indicate that although nearly
100 years have passed since then
the memories about those days were
still fresh and people were willing to
talk about it. The Diyarbakır Oral
History Project once more reminds
us that facing the past honestly
is a precondition for peaceful
coexistence.
HUMAN
RIGHTS IN
MENTAL
HEALTH
PROJECT Initiative
for Human Rights in Mental Health
(RUSHIAK) announced its legal
counseling line
project at a meeting
organized in
March 2010. The
project supported
by our Foundation
aimed at providing
counseling service to mentally
disabled individuals and their family
members, identifying their legal
needs, and opening, following up
and make visible legal cases that
would set a precedent in areas they
face difficulties including education,
housing, employment, treatment,
rehabilitation, guardianship and
receiving disability pension. The
counselors answering the calls refer
the requests to the attorneys taking
part in the project on voluntary basis
and then inform the callers about
the outcome of their inquiries.
THE SURVEY
ON THE
PROCESSES
OF ‘OTHERING’ IN
TURKEY The survey
conducted by Prof. Dr. Hakan Yılmaz
with the support of the Boğaziçi
59
The projects we, as the Open Socıety Foundatıon, supported under the “Reform” topıc
between 2009-2013 are not lımıted wıth what we shared wıth our readers so far. We
gave support to many more ınıtıatıves whıch were fully concordant wıth the Open
Socıety ıdeal, aımıng at comıng to terms wıth the past, helpıng us to look at each
other’s eyes wıthout flınchıng and havıng at theır center the human rıghts.
Below are some examples of such projects.
shared historical memory, common
artistic and cultural interests, shared
political symbols) and institutional
– political elements (living in the
same environment, being citizens
of the same state, sharing the same
civil society and public sphere,
sharing economic production and
consumption) cause a sense of
affiliation, inclusion and which of
these instigate difference, exclusion
and othering.
BAK:
REVEALING
THE CITY
THROUGH
MEMORY Anatolian
Culture’s “BAK” Project
accomplished with the support of
Open Society Foundation brought
together young people from 4
different cities of Turkey from east
and west. The aim was to lay the
grounds for a cultural cooperation
through a training program and
collective artistic production and
to bring into contact young people
from different cultural backgrounds
through art. It was a step towards
creating alternative ways of
addressing social issues and a new
platform for debate and discussion.
The first meeting of the “BAK”
project took place in Diyarbakır and
Batman in April 2013. 24 young
people of 18-26 ages from Batman,
Diyarbakır, Çanakkale and İzmir
interested in photography and
cinema took part in a program of 5
days involving workshops and events
centered around the themes “looking
at the city” and memory, as well as
activities with photography and film
production as the subject matter.
Meeting and workshops were also
held in İzmir and Çanakkale in June
2013 and once more in Diyakbakır
and Batman in September 2013. The
photographs and videos produced
in the course of the project will
be displayed in exhibitions to be
organized in Istanbul and other
cities throughout 2014.
WORK FOR
DIALOGUE BY
TESEV AND
GPOT This was a project
developed by the Foreign Policy
Program of The Turkish Economic
and Social Studies Foundation
(TESEV)
with a view
to contribute
to the
normalization of relations between
Turkey and Armenia. One of the
objectives of the project supported
by our Foundation was to organize
a series of meetings and visits
to establish contacts with the
Armenian diaspora which was
not adequately involved in the
rapprochement process between
the two countries and also which
was little known in Turkey. We
believe that a dialogue with the
Armenian diaspora – a group
perceived with quite negative
connotations in Turkey - will help a
better understanding of this group,
contribute to democratization
of Turkey and normalization of
relations between Turkey and
Armenia. This conviction was the
basis of our support to another
project prepared by Global Political
Trends Center and conducted under
the leadership of Prof. Dr. Mensur
Akgün involved a round-table
meeting with the representatives of,
experts and policy makers from the
Armenian Diaspora in the USA and
Turkish civil society. The round-table
discussion was a step towards laying
grounds for re-thinking on TurkishArmenian relations.
“REMEMBERING” WITH
PHOTOGRAPHY:
PHOTOGRAPHY
WORKSHOPS
WITH YOUTH
The project brought to life by
Anatolian Culture involved
photography workshops with
youth in a number of southeastern
provinces of Turkey, namely
Şırnak, Hakkâri, Yüksekova,
Mardin - Kızıltepe, Batman and
Cizre. Basic photography training
courses were organized for 50
young people between the ages
14-17 to help them acquire skills
for expressing themselves through
creative activities and take part in
constructive socializing processes.
The problems experienced in the
region, traumas and reflections
of life in general terms were
made visible from the viewpoint
of young people through the
blog site set up for this purpose,
exhibitions organized in five cities
which were centered around the
theme “remembering” and a book
compiling the photographs produced
in this process. The interactive blog
featuring photographs of the project
participants offered an effective
medium of communication.
BOĞAZİÇİ
UNIVERSITY:
RESEARCHES
ON CONSERVATISM AND
MIDDLE
CLASSES IN
TURKEY The two
projects, Conservatism in Turkey
and In Search of a Turkish Middle
Class: Economic Occupations, Political
Orientations, Social Life-Styles, Moral
Values had been conducted by Prof.
Dr. Hakan Yılmaz from Boğaziçi
University Political Sciences
Department with our Foundation’s
support. The findings of the first
one had been published in 2006;
and the second one in 2007. In 2012
when the two projects were going
to be renewed with minor changes
in their questionnaires we didn’t
hesitate to support this second
phase of the two surveys. In view
of the developments in Turkey in
the past 10 years, the comparative
data obtained by the surveys offer
very interesting indications as to
whether or not public opinion, values
and norms have changed with the
changing political, cultural and social
conditions.
61
60
University and our Foundation
aimed at investigating various types
and modes of ‘othering’ processes
targeting individuals of different
identities. Face to face interviews
were carried out with a sampling
group of 1811 in 18 provinces. The
survey’s report published in 2010
gained wide media coverage and
revealed striking facts. 30% to 38%
of the society thinks that they will
receive adverse reactions if they do
not comply with group norms. It
is believed that homosexuals (by
72%), atheists (by 59%), those
who do not adequately fulfil their
religious obligations (by 28%),
and non-Muslims (by 28%) would
not safely disclose their identities.
59% of those who are subjected
to repression quail and give up;
and 30% discloses their identity
risking exclusion. We also supported
another research project conducted
by Prof. Dr. Hakan Yılmaz which
involved both field surveys and in
depth interviews aiming to identify
which emotional-symbolic elements
(blood, language and religious ties,
The project Turkish Election
Studies, 2011 conducted by Ali
Çarkoğlu from the Koç University
with our Foundation’s support
aimed to collect data in a two-wave
panel survey on voter preferences,
their political awareness and the
impact of the media on voter
behaviors. Media reports within
the period covered by the survey
were collected and coded to be
then matched with the individual
voter profiles collected in the panel
survey. The findings of the survey
enabled to identify the demands
and expectations from the new
government formed after the general
elections of June 2011.
SOCIAL
POLICY
FORUM: FREE
LUNCH AT
SCHOOL, 2011
PROJECT Assoc. Prof.
Dr. Ayşen Candaş and her team from
the Boğaziçi University Social Policy
Forum started a research seeking
an answer to the question: “Is it
possible to provide free hot meal
for lunch at public schools?” To this
end they examined free school meal
programs implemented in various
countries of the world and saw that
such an aid contributed to students’
school performance and was very
helpful for the their psychological
and physical development. The
research report recommends an
applicable school feeding model for
Turkey, taking as basis the free lunch
programs implemented in Chile and
Brazil, the two examples of more
than 100 countries adopting similar
programs and explains in detail in
which districts of Istanbul such a
program can be put into practice if
Istanbul were to be chosen as a pilot
province.
TOHAV: AN
ACTIVE CIVIL
SOCIETY FOR
PREVENTING
TORTURE
Foundation for Society and Legal
Studies (TOHAV) launched this
project
to help
preventing
torture and ill
treatment in
Turkey, thus
contribute to
the democratization of
Turkey and raising the fundamental
freedoms and human rights standards
of the country. Given the need to
create a nationwide cooperation
amongst lawyers, doctors and other
experts working in this field, the
project launched with our support
carried out effective networking
activities to this end.
DİTAM: THE
ROLE OF
THE MOTHER
TONGUE IN
HEALTH CARE
SERVICES Tigris
Communal Research Center
(DITAM) carried out a survey to
reveal whether or not the lack of
adequate arrangements for the use
of mother tongue while providing
public health services constituted an
obstacle to
individuals’
receiving
proper
treatment
and making
sufficient
use of
diagnostic
processes, therefore whether or not
such shortcoming prevented them
from fully exercising the right to easy
access to health care services. The
report published in Turkish, Kurdish
and English, compiling the findings
of the survey which was based on the
interviews made with physicians and
pharmacists in Diyarbakır. According
to the report 70% of the physicians
believe that health care providers’
being able to speak the mother
tongue of the local people would
enhance the public’s ability to access
to and increase the effectiveness of
public health care services. Please see
our website for further information
about the survey findings.
IMPR:
PERCEPTION
OF KURDISH
QUESTION
IN TURKEY
BY KURDISH
GROUPS IN
THE MIDDLE
EAST International Middle
East Peace Research Centre undertook
a survey with our Foundation’s
support on the perception of the
Kurdish question in Turkey by Kurds
living in Iraq, Syria and Iran. Based
on the belief that Turkish public’s
enhanced awareness about the subject
would contribute to the success of the
peace process in Turkey, the project
team conducted a field survey in these
three countries. A conference under
the heading
Kurds
Discussing
Peace,
Democracy and Solution Models in
Ankara with the participation of
representatives from Syria, Kurdistan
Regional Government, Iran and
Turkey. The findings of the field
survey will be published in 2014 in
three volumes in English and Turkish.
WHAT ON
EARTH HAVE
I GOT TO DO
WITH OTHERS’
RIGHTS? We, as the
Open Society Foundation, consider
that the tendency to claim one’s
own rights only, to be indifferent
or in some cases to oppose to the
“other”s rights is one of the major
barriers blocking our way to a better
world and a better life. We wanted to
share our concern in this respect and
produced a humble short film. In our
film we asked the question “to what
extent would you defend the rights of
someone who is different from you?”
to academics, writers, and politicians
from diverse sections of the society.
Their answers were compiled in our
12 minutes long film named “What
on earth have I got to do with others’
rights?” In addition to well-known
figures in Turkey like İhsan Eliaçık,
Tuğrul Türkeş, Zeynep Altıok, Cemal
Uşşak, Cafer Solgun, Zafer Arapkirli,
Hüseyin Ergun, people whose names
are not known to the public spoke on
behalf of their “other”s. The answers
were very interesting, some of them
raising hopes for a brighter future,
some of them worrisome.
A LONELY
AND WORRIED
COUNTRY:
TURKEY
The survey was conducted on behalf
of the Open Society Foundation by
Dr. Emre Erdoğan, Prof. Dr. Gencer
Özcan, Prof. Dr. Kenan Çayır and
Prof. Dr. Orhan Tekelioğlu. The
report, published on October 2013,
compiling
the findings
of the survey
provides
thoughtprovoking
data and
conclusions
reached
on the
conception
of Turkey’s “loneliness”. Within the
scope of the project Dr. Erdoğan
examined the results of the wellknown international surveys such as
the World Values Survey, Pew Global
Attitudes, GMF Transatlantic Trends,
WPON-PIPA, BBC Globescan
and drew conclusions about the
“Uneasiness with Foreigners in
Turkey”. Prof. Dr. Özcan analyzed
the “Xenophobia in Turkish
Diplomacy”, and Prof. Dr. Çayır
examined the discourse of “Foreign
Threat” in school text books. The
“others” in popular culture was the
subject Prof. Dr. Tekelioğlu dealt with.
A striking finding of the report was
that Turkey ranked the third from
the bottom amongst 24 countries in
terms of “trust in international law”.
63
62
KOÇ
UNIVERSITY:
TURKISH
ELECTION
STUDIES, 2011
65
64
EUROPEAN UNION
THE
INDEPENDENT
COMMISSION
ON TURKEY
“The Independent Commission remains convinced
of the huge benefits of Turkish convergence with Europe and an
eventual EU membership of a transformed Turkey, both for the
country itself and the European Union.”
“The impressive progress Turkey has made in all
fields over the last ten years was clearly linked to the country’s
EU candidate status and the accession process.”
“To ensure a continuation of Turkey’s transformation its European perspective must be preserved.”
“To give Turkey a fair chance, however, is a matter
of the EU’s credibility, of self-interest and of fairness due to all
candidate countries.” From the report “Turkey in Europe: Breaking the Vicious Circle”
It was right after we started continuing our
activities as a national foundation that we
hosted the Independent Commission on
Turkey (ICT) during their visit to Turkey in
2009. The Commission, which we played
an active part in its foundation, has been
making contacts and carrying out work to
support Turkey’s EU accession process for
many years. The most impressive product of
the Commission’s work to help the progress
of Turkey’s EU membership process at a
time when it appeared to be approaching a
deadlock was the launch of its second report
Turkey in Europe: Breaking the Vicious Circle
published in six languages. Following the
publication of the report the Commission
members visited Turkey and held contacts
in Ankara and Istanbul, meeting the Turkish
President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoğlu, the then State Minister
and Chief EU Negotiator Egemen Bağış,
and Deniz Baykal, the then leader of the
Republican People’s Party. The Commission
also held meetings with NGOs, academics,
representatives of the business world and
ICT Meeting at
Presidential Palace
media members and organized a press
conference in Istanbul to inform the
Turkish public about their report and make
an assessment of their contacts in Turkey.
Meetings in European capitals
ICT report, urging European governments
to honor their commitments and treat
Turkey with fairness and Turkey to
encourage its many supporters in Europe
through a dynamic, broad-based reform
process, was first disclosed in Brussels
in September 2009. Following Brussels,
the ICT members, frequently referred
to “wise men” in the Turkish media,
presented their Turkey report to the
public and policy makers during their
visits to Stockholm, Paris, Vienna, Rome,
The Hague, London, Madrid, Athens and
Warsaw. During ICT’s Europe tour the
report was shared not only with top level
state officials such as presidents, prime
ministers and foreign ministers but also
with politicians, EU representatives,
academics, representatives of NGOs and
press members. Thus the report gained a
wide media coverage in both Europe and
the US.
The ICT, making efforts to step up
Turkey’s accession process to EU since its
foundation, had released its first report
Turkey in Europe: More Than a Promise? in
2004. The report was an outcome of a series
of surveys and contacts in Turkey, and was
presented to the government authorities
and the public in major European capitals.
The main argument of the report was that
accession negotiations should be opened
without delay upon fulfilment by Turkey of
the Copenhagen Criteria.
ICT carried on with their intensive efforts for
facilitating Turkey’s integration process with
Europe in 2010, by means of contacts and
meetings with key actors of both sides. “Our
contacts provided us with important data
for our report we will be preparing next year.
Our aim is to contribute to the establishment
of more favorable relations between Turkey
and the EU,” said Martti Ahtisaari, the
Chairman of the Commission, at the press
conference held on 18 September 2010.
67
66
For a faır EU
accessıon process
for Turkey, for
the launch of
a democratıc
and broad-based
reform program
by the Turkısh
government, for
an ıntegratıon
mutually
benefıcıal to
Europe and Turkey
69
68
ICT comments on Gezi Park events
Preparations for the third report
ICT took a constructive initiative to help
manage the possible impact on the TurkeyEU relations of the mass protests and the
emergence of an environment of violence in
Istanbul during 2013 spring, by presenting a
letter to the European leaders. In the letter ICT
argued that the Gezi incidents should not slow
down the accession process, on the contrary it
should bring a new dynamism to the process.
It was stated in the latter that “The incidents
unfolded in the last weeks in Turkey proved
the commitment and vitality of the civil society
in Turkey which is ready to express their
demands for a participative democracy even
under extraordinary difficult conditions. We,
as the Independent Commission on Turkey
members, sincerely believe in the need for the
European Union to improve their relations
with Turkey. This will be in the interests of
both Europe and Turkey.”
In the fall of 2013 ICT stepped up its work
for the preparations of its third report
on Turkey which will once more play an
important part in the Turkey-EU relations’
taking a fruitful new path. For this reason
the ICT members held critical contacts with
top level bureaucrats and politicians in
Ankara and Istanbul including the President
Abdullah Gül, in addition to meetings
with academics and journalists where the
ICT members were briefed on key issues in
connection with Turkish politics. The report,
drawing attention to the fact that EU and
Turkey, going through difficult times, need
each other more than ever and underlining
the need to revival of relations as soon as
possible, was released in April 2014.
About the Independent Commission on
Turkey
• Founded by the joint initiative of Open
Society Foundation and British Council.
• Aimed at examining the challenges
and opportunities for Turkey’s possible
membership in the European Union
and contributing to a more objective and
rational debate in this connection.
ICT members:
• Martti Ahtisaari (Chairman) -Former
President of Finland, 2008 Nobel
Peace Prize Laureate
• Kurt Biedenkopf (Until 2011) -Former
Prime Minister of Saxony, Germany
• Emma Bonino -Former Minister for
International Trade and European Affairs,
Italy; former Vice-President of the Italian
Senate; Former European Commissioner
• Hans van den Broek -Former Foreign
Minister of Netherlands, former
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
European Commissioner
Bronislaw Geremek (Im Memoriam)
-Former Foreign Minister of Poland,
former member of the European
Parliament
Anthony Giddens (until 2011) -Former
Director of the London School of
Economics
Wolfgang Ischinger -Former Secretary
of State, Germany
David Miliband -Former Foreign
Secretary of Great Britain
Marcelino Oreja Aguirre -Former
Foreign Minister of Spain, Former
Secretary General of the Council
of Europe, Former European
Commissioner
Michel Rocard -Former Prime Minister
of France
Albert Rohan (Rapporteur) -Former
Secretary General of Foreign Affairs,
Austria
“THE IMPACT
OF EU ON 100
AREAS OF
OUR DAILY
LIVES” We, as the Open
70
Society Foundation, have been
supporting and following closely the
process of Turkey’s full membership
to the European Union, since the
first day we started our activities.
Our publication The Impact of EU on
100 Areas of our Daily Lives answers
the question as to what Turkey’s
harmonization with EU acquis and
its full membership to the Union
would bring to our lives. Looking at
the actual or potential consequences
of the arrangements Turkey has
made so far or those it will adopt in
the future in relation to different
sectors of social life, the book aimed
at raising the public awareness
about Turkey’s accession process. In
view of the widespread interest we
reprinted the publication in 10,000
copies in 2010 in cooperation with
the Secretariat General for European
Union Affairs. This followed by a
third edition printed in more than
200,000 copies and distributed
across Turkey with the collaboration
of EU Ministry of Turkey. The
work is currently being updated by
the expert authorities of the EU
Ministry to be reprinted in 2014 and
distributed country-wide.
“THE COST
OF NO EUTURKEY”
BOOKS Committed to
the belief that Turkey is becoming a
more open society in the process of
harmonization with EU standards,
and in turn the country’s membership
would reinforce EU’s open society
values, our Foundation published a
three-volume series of books dealing
with this important topic in 2009,
2010 and 2011 respectively. With
the objective of underlining that a
considerable progress in EU-Turkey
relations and ultimately the country’s
membership to EU would be to both
parties’ benefit, we compiled in the
books essays by people whom we
respect for their analytical insight and
intellectual candor to articulate their
perspectives on what the cost of no
EU-Turkey would be. The first book
prepared jointly with Michael Lake,
the former EU Ambassador to Turkey,
was released in 2009 under the
heading Cost of No EU-Turkey: Four
Views. The book brought together
essays by Carl Bildt, Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Sweden; Norbert
Walter, the Chief Economist of
Deutsche Bank; Paulina Lampsa, the
International Relations Secretary
of PASOK from Greece; and Prof.
Dr. Hakan Yılmaz from the Boğaziçi
University. Our second book Cost
of No EU-Turkey: Two Views released
in 2010 featured essays by Howard
Dean, the Chairman Emeritus of
the Democratic National Committee
and one of the most interesting
voices of the American Democrats;
and Şevket Pamuk, the then Chair
in Contemporary Turkish Studies in
European Institute of London School
of Economics and Political Science.
The third book of the series Cost of No
EU-Turkey: Five Views was published
in 2011. In this volume we compiled
5 articles by Prof. Peter Balazs,
the former Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Hungary and former EU
Commissioner for Regional Policy;
Krzysztof Bobinski, President of
Unia&Polska Foundation in Warsaw
and former journalist; Prof. Ayşe
Kadıoğlu from the Sabancı University
and a member of the Group of
Eminent Persons of the Council of
Europe; Philippos Savvides from the
International Center for Hellenic and
Mediterranean Studies in Athens;
and co-writers Shahin Abbasov and
Farid Gahramanov from Azerbaijan.
REFLECTIONS
OF EUTURKEY
RELATIONS IN
THE MUSLIM
WORLD We believe
that Turkey’s membership to the
European Union bears an intellectual
MEETING
SERIES ON
THE CYPRUS
CONFLICT
meaning going far beyond the topics
of the negotiations between Turkey
and EU.
EU-Turkey relations are not followed
only in Europe and Turkey. The Muslim
world has emerged as an attentive
observer of this evolving relationship.
Arguments, expressed from time to time
by European politicians as well, that
Turkey would not be accepted to the
Union because of its Islamic identity
has become an important subject of
debate in the Muslim world. In our
publication Reflections of EU-Turkey
Relations in the Muslim World Yousef
Al Sharif of Al Jazeera-Turkey and Samir
Salha of Kocaeli University review the
manner in which EU-Turkey relations
have been assessed in the Arab media,
and Rasul Bakhsh Rais of Lahore
University discusses the debates in
South Asia. Both essays demonstrate
the centrality of the Turkish experience
with the European Union in
determining the verdict by the Muslims
on whether the European modernity
is grand, open-ended, inclusive, nondenominational and meritocratic, or
whether it is petty, closed, exclusionary,
sectarian and arbitrary. Needless to say,
we all have a huge stake in how that
verdict is shaped.
Heybeliada Talks is an ongoing
initiative since 2008 organized by
the Global Political Trends Center
(GPoT), a think tank committed
to contribute to the solution of
the Cyprus question, which is one
of the major issues waiting to be
settled for the progress of EU-Turkey
relations. GPoT aims at creating
alternative channels of dialogue
between the two communities in
Cyprus as official negotiations
between the governments have
proven to be inadequate for a fruitful
debate. Since 2010 our Foundation
has been supporting these
series of talks bringing together
representatives from all quarters of
the civil society including experts,
opinion leaders, media members,
academics and businessmen from
both sides of Cyprus, Turkey and
Greece. In 2010 in addition to the
representatives from northern and
southern Cyprus, Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the then
Chief EU Negotiator Egemen Bağış
participated in the meeting. During
the 12th of the meetings held in
2013 the participants discussed the
current state in the Cyprus question,
the impact of the economic crisis
and the conflict arising from
offshore hydrocarbon exploration
and production operations in the
vicinity of the Island.
71
Other projects we supported ın the area of Turkey - European Unıon relatıons
73
72
EDUCATION
SUPPORTING
ROMA
CHILDREN
FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION
above: Visit to the
Ministry of Family and
Social Policies by the
students provided with
scholarship
“Discrimination in access to the labor market, education system and health system as well as to the housing market
still prevails. Comparatively high poverty and unemployment
rates, low school attendance and school completion rates, limited
professional skills, poor housing conditions and consequently
poor health conditions lead to relatively low life expectancy.”
From European Roma Rights Center’s Turkey report
left: Demolition in
Sulukule. Photograph:
Nejla Osseiran
75
74
For equal rıghts
ın educatıon,
ın acquırıng
professıonal
skılls and ın all
quarters of lıfe
Students’ common
discourse:
Due to our commitment to the ideal of an
open society where nobody is excluded on
the basis of his/her being different, where
everybody is offered equal opportunities
as equal citizens and where all exercise the
right to develop himself/herself and to take
part in the social production processes
we, together with Anatolian Culture,
are providing educational support to
socially and economically disadvantaged
Roma youth. Roma comes first among
ethnic groups who are most effected
by social discrimination. Attendance
among Roma children to primary school
is very low primarily because of life-long
discrimination and severe poverty arising
therefrom.
Since the beginning of scholarship to
Roma youth project, around 100 students
benefitted from the program and succeeded
in university entry exams. In 2013 25 of
these students visited the Ministry of
Family and Social Policies, drawing the
Minister’s attention to the success rate of
the program and expressing their belief
that extension of the scope of the program
nationwide would increase Roma youth’s
university entry rates.
The program’s impressive success and
its potential to set an example for other
similar initiatives led us to continue with
our partnership with Anatolian Culture
for this project.
“I want to change the idea
that Roma children don’t
go to school.”
21 years old B.K. studying German
Language Teaching department in the
Selçuk University, is the only member of
his family attending university. He had
first been unsuccessful at the university
entry exams and now with the support of
the scholarship program he attends private
university preparation courses. “Without
this scholarship I wouldn’t be able to go
to prep courses, because my family would
not afford it,” says B.K. “We are eight in
our family and only one of us earn a living.
Perception of Roma as inferior elements
of the society is very offending. I am very
happy that this project supports our
education. I disclose my identity wherever I
happen to be. That is because I don’t want
people speaking poorly about Roma in my
presence. However I am not angry with
those who hide their Roma identity, because
I know that people humiliate them. There
is a widespread view that Roma children
don’t go to school. I want to change that
mindset.”
76
BILGI
UNIVERSITY:
PREVENTING
DISCRIMINATION IN
EDUCATION The
project “Model Teaching Practices
and Key Resources Support
for Education Professionals“,
implemented by the Istanbul
Bilgi University, Sociology and
Education Studies Unit with our
Foundation’s support, sought an
answer to the question “how the
problem of discrimination can be
dealt with in the classroom?” The
project team analyzed discrimination
from educational and sociological
perspectives. Teachers taking part in
workshops and training seminars
were provided fruitful information
as to how
they could
produce
course
materials
that will
facilitate
enhancing
students’
awareness about discrimination
and were asked to prepare curricula
addressing this question. 20 texts
were re-written by experts on topics
jointly identified and reviewed by the
teachers. Pilot implementations were
carried out in line with the model
courses which were videotaped.
The book Discrimination – MultiDimensional Approaches compiling the
conclusions reached in the course
of the project was published in 2012
and the findings were discussed at a
meeting with wide participation. We
also supported the certificate program
“Teachers’ Workshop: Discussing
Social Issues at Classroom” to
contribute to the efforts for the
implementation of the findings of the
project and for enabling social issues
to be discussed in an educational
environment. The project book can
be accessed through our website,
by clicking the “publications we
support” tab.
PROJECTS
FOR
IMPROVING
LIVING
CONDITIONS
OF THE
DISABLED
Awareness Meetings for Primary
School Students organized by the
Disabled People Foundation
The Disabled People Foundation,
building on the fact that primary
school children between 7-12 ages
enjoy a quick and easy learning
capacity, prepared education modules
to enhance their awareness about
disability and help them gain an
insight into the living conditions and
needs of people having disabilities
of different kinds. Experts in this
field such as psychologists, teachers
for special-needs students, and
child development specialists gave
seminars on various aspects of
disability with the participation
of 4000 primary school students.
During the project covering the
period between May 2011 and June
2012, the activities were focused on
bringing about a change in children’s
behavior towards individuals
different from them by means of
drama and playing games. The
participants were also distributed a
set of interactive books for children
specially prepared by the experts
specialized in this area.
Work by the Platform to Prevent
and Fight Discrimination
against the Disabled
Despite favorable developments in
recent years as regards prevention of
discrimination against the disabled
and raising public awareness in this
respect the continuation of their
adverse conditions constitute one of
the most important barriers blocking
their participation in social life.
Guided by this fact the Platform to
Prevent and Fight Discrimination
and supported by our Foundation
aimed at reinforcing teachers’ roles
in managing conflicts and building
a peaceful environment in the
classroom and at school.
against the Disabled has been
working since 2011 to generate a
process of change in this area and
we are happy to support them since
then. The platform aims to increase
the capacities of a minimum of 20
associations working in the field of
disability from different regions of
Turkey in fighting discrimination
against the disabled (by supporting
them in areas such as litigation
and raising public awareness),
increase the effectiveness of NGOs
working in the field of disabilities
and/or discrimination and helping
them in acquiring experience in
implementation of projects. The
Platform sets itself the target of
filing 100 formal applications with
government authorities and have
5 parliamentary questions raised
in the Turkish Grand National
Assembly in disability-related issues.
HELSINKI
CITIZENS’
ASSEMBLY:
TEACHERS
FOR DEMOCRATIZATION
AND PEACE
BUILDING The
seminar program developed by the
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly (HcA)
The four main
topics of the
program based on
a holistic approach
to the question
were: i) Main
determinants and
orientations in
the education system in Caucasian
countries and Turkey; ii) Managing
challenges in discussing peace,
democracy and citizenship in the
classroom; iii) New pedagogical and
communication skills; iv) New tactics,
clues, sources of inspiration and
best examples for teachers to become
actors of peace building. Apart from
this initiative we also supported HcA’s
region-wide project Cross-Border
Citizens’ Network for Peace, InterCommunal Reconciliation & Human
Security, for promoting societal peace,
reconciliation and good governance
by means of local, regional, national
and intercommunal/sectoral dialogue.
BILGI
UNIVERSITY:
INTERNATIONAL
TRAUMA
STUDIES
CERTIFICATE
PROGRAM Taking
into consideration the continuity,
diversity and depth of traumas
experienced in Turkey’s history, an
expert team from Istanbul Bilgi
University Psychology Department
started the Trauma Studies
Certificate Program in cooperation
with the International Trauma
Studies Program in New York,
active since 1997, and with our
Foundation’s support. The objective
of the clinically-oriented and
interdisciplinary certificate program
was to provide support to mental
health and other professionals who
work or who wish to work with trauma
survivors. The program covering a
period of 10 months and initiated by
Assoc. Prof. Murat Paker is designed
for two different groups; mental
health clinicians (psychologists,
psychiatrists, counseling
psychologists, psychiatric nurses,
social worker and psychotherapists
etc.) and non-clinical professionals
(lawyers, journalists, NGO workers
etc.) on the basis of two interrelated
modules that contain the most
developed knowledge in the field of
psychotraumatology. As is the case
with the first and second years of the
program, we will continue supporting
this very important initiative where
geographical distribution is taken into
account in accepting the applicants.
DEBATE
TRAINING FOR
HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS The
Debate Association, the Turkish
partner and youngest member of
the International Debate Education
77
In our vıew all ınıtıatıves we have supported for equal opportunıtıes
ın educatıon so far are equally ınvaluable
NESİN
MATHEMATICS
SALT: INTERVILLAGE PRETATION
2010-2011
PROGRAM The
SUMMER
Interpretation Program launched
SEASON Nesin
by SALT, a non-profit cultural
Mathematics Village, founded
and run since 1998 by the world
renowned mathematics professor Ali
Nesin, hosts every year hundreds of
institution, aimed to establish a
framework for more sustainable,
mutually valuable relations between
cultural institutions and Istanbul’s
public schools. Within the framework
of the program, implemented in
2011-2012 school year with our
Foundation’s support, more than
1500 students were provided with
free bus services to and from SALT
Beyoğlu and SALT Galata for
taking part in workshops organized
by artists, cultural producers or
specialists in fields related with
SALT’s current projects. In addition
SALT Interpretation Packs, in other
words online curriculum guides, were
prepared for teachers and students,
containing discussion topics,
activities and educational resources
to accompany each exhibition.
FROM THE
WHITE
SCREEN
TO THE
BLACKBOARD
The project accomplished in 2012 by
Zonguldak Association for Educational
Support, involved creation of an
interactive website which will
function as a movie library for
the teachers,
containing the list
of films that could
be used in formal
education, and
also providing
them with
the necessary
guidelines. The aim of the project was
to make best use of the visual language
and multi-layered structure of cinema
for encouraging teachers to take more
interest in this branch of art and
also enable the students to watch
classical films with their teachers.
The project also provided a platform
for discussing and interpreting films in
addition to organizing a series of film
screenings bringing teachers and
students together.
MEDIA
disadvantaged high school students
and provide them with private
intensive mathematics courses in
three-week periods. The objectives
of setting up a mathematics village
were diverse: to develop mathematical
thinking capacity of high school
students, trigger their curiosity
about mathematics, to give them a
sense of abstract thinking, to help
them absorb the concept of proof
and to enable students coming
from very different parts of Anatolia
to receive training from world’s
renowned lecturers. In addition
to these academic objectives the
village aims to show to students
that a different approach, a different
manner of learning and a different
kind of human relations are possible
in an environment free of punitive
authority and fear, an environment
where mutual trust and respect
prevail. Our foundation enabled
hundreds of disadvantaged high
school students to attend the courses
free of charge in the summer of 2011.
79
78
Association founded in 2009 to
conduct activities for promoting
debate training and developing a
debate culture where mutual respect
for each other’s views is promoted,
took a pioneering step, in fact a ‘first’
in Turkey, in the year 2010. Receiving
our support since its inception, the
Association makes efforts to develop
methods suitable to Turkey’s local
conditions to set up debate training
programs and to use debate as an
educational means for creating an
environment of societal dialogue.
They first prepared a debate training
module to form the basis of the
training programs for primarily highschool students and future trainers.
This was followed by the publication
of a debate training book for use as
a source in the subject trainings. The
Association implemented its program
at 20 high schools in 10 provinces
with the help of volunteering trainers.
Carnegie Europe’s research was directed
by Marcus Mayr and Marc Pierini, the
former EU Ambassador to Turkey, who
was afterwards invited to Carnegie
Europe as a visiting scholar with our
Foundation’s support, thus having the
opportunity to share his insightful
knowledge and experience about Turkey.
The comprehensive findings of the research
were compiled in the report Press Freedom
in Turkey.
Two favorable comments from the Press
Freedom in Turkey report are as follows:
First, today more subjects are debated
and there are fewer taboos than ever
before, from the Armenian to the Kurdish
issues. The press sector is undoubtedly
demonstrating strong dynamism, in
particular thanks to an extremely active
civil society and courageous journalists.
This evolution appears to be irreversible.
Secondly, serious preparatory work in
the Ministry of Justice on legislative
reforms has been ongoing for some time.
It is, however, unclear if and when these
proposals will be put into practice.
The report proved its scientific value
and objectivity by winning the 2013
International Publication of the Year Award,
a category of the yearly awards organized
by the Prospect Magazine, a prominent
monthly periodical in the Great Britain.
Press Freedom in Turkey report was launched
at a meeting our Foundation held jointly
81
80
For a country
fully ıntegrated
wıth the world;
enjoyıng greater
democracy and
pluralısm;
and rıcher wıth
dıverse outlooks
FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION
AND FREEDOM
OF PRESS:
CENTER FOR
AMERICAN
PROGRESS
AND CARNEGIE
EUROPE REPORTS
this purpose and shared the conclusions
with the international press in 2012.
Warnings in the
report:
“Turkey is a member of NATO and the Council of
Europe and is negotiating its accession to the European Union.
As a country anchored in the West, and no matter what political
orientation it takes, Turkey should do better on press freedom—
with all that implies—and ensure that democratic principles and
standards are upheld.” From Carnegie Europe’s Press Freedom
in Turkey
a) Press freedom and personal freedoms
are restricted on grounds of terrorism in Turkey.
Struggle against terrorism should not be an excuse
for restrictions on the press.
b) There is more pressure on journalists today than there
was five or ten years ago. The mere fact that the debate on
tough issues is only fed by a courageous few is not healthy for
Turkish society as a whole: it means that debate is fast becoming
a “marginal” phenomenon and that mainstream Turkey is less
pluralistic.
c) The violations of press freedom have become a stain
on Turkey’s democratic credentials. Plain denial of these
Two of our important undertakings in
2012 in line with our vision of contributing
Turkey’s becoming a more open society, were
our support to the studies carried out on
press and expression freedom in Turkey by
two reputable think tanks, one from Europe
and the other from the USA.
Carnegie Europe – Report on the Press
Freedom in Turkey
Carnegie Europe, the Europe branch of
the Carnegie Endowment, and the Center
for American Progress (CAP) from the US
conducted researches in Turkey on freedom
of press and expression, made contacts for
shortcomings by the government does not lead anywhere; it
only adds to the embarrassing situation in which the state
already finds itself.
d) Turkey loses credibility and trustworthiness,
which in turn affects economy adversely
by slowing down foreign direct
investments.
83
82
Center for American
Progress report launch,
Washington DC
Center for American Progress (CAP)
Carnegie Europe
report launch,
Brussels
with Carnegie Europe in Brussels in January
2013. A panel discussion was also organized
as part of the event where representatives
from EU Commission and European
Parliament members as well as outstanding
carried out a survey on recent developments
in Turkey in the area of freedom of press and
freedom of expression and organized a series
of meetings as well as face to face contacts
with press members from different media
institutions and with different political
views. The individuals contacted included
journalists, editors and experts in various
fields in connection with the subject matter.
opinion makers from Turkey took part. At
the panel discussion moderated by Sinan
Ülgen from Carnegie Europe, Marc Pierini
and Marietje Schaake, a member of the
European Parliament were the discussants.
Furthermore meetings were also held with
working groups. Aiming to broaden the
discussion and improve understanding
of the issue with the participation of
international actors, the survey analyzed
the press freedom in Turkey from the
viewpoint of its political context, historical
background and strategic concerns.
The report released by CAP offering the
findings of the survey, contains a number
of important topics such as Kurdish
question, the tension between the AKP
government and those firmly committed
to Kemalist secularism, ownership of
media groups, Turkey’s role in the Middle
East, more subtle and less visible forms of
censorship and journalists in prison. The
conclusion section of the report underlines
the central importance of press freedom
to the entrenchment of democratic norms
in Turkey and calls NGOs to help monitor
the situation and support independent
journalism.
The report was launched in January 2013
at a meeting in Washington with the
participation of press members from Turkey.
Any criminal offence, including offences against
persons or property, where the victim, premises, or target of
the offence are selected because of their real or perceived connection, attachment, affiliation, support, or membership with a
group based upon a characteristic common to its members, such
as real or perceived race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or other similar factor, is a hate crime. OSCE, 2006 Hate
Crimes Report
Struggle against hate crimes, one of the
most effective conveyor and disseminator
of racism which has inflicted deep injuries
in the human history, has become vital
in building societal peace today. However
the ‘hate crime’ was a concept not wellknown in Turkey, not defined clearly in
legislation and not an agenda item in the
national press. The first comprehensive
activity of the Association for Social Change
founded in 2009 by a group of human
rights activists and with the support of
Open Society Foundation, was a pioneering
initiative that focused on how to wage an
effective struggle against hate crimes.
The preparatory work included meetings
with the experts specialized on hate crimes,
workshops and trainings given to the
association members.
85
84
For raısıng
awareness about
hate crımes and
creatıng a fırm
publıc opınıon
agaınst them
WORKS AGAINST
HATE CRIMES
HATE CRIMES IN
NATIONAL PRESS:
10 YEARS,
10 EXAMPLES
This was followed by the scanning of
internet archives of Turkey’s 20 national
newspapers covering the period 19982008. The criteria taken as basis for this
study were ethnic/racial affiliation, gender,
national characteristics, religion and
beliefs, political tendencies and convictions,
education, personal or communal status,
disability, sexual orientation and ownership.
The report Hate Crimes in National Press: 10
Years, 10 Examples was the main output of
this project.
Here are some examples from the book
10 Years, 10 Examples:
The headline of the November 17, 2009
issue of the daily Yeniçağ was “Armenians
Go Rabid” with a subheadline “Bitchy
attack by Armenians”. The actual press
report is about an armed clash on the
87
86
the daily Sabah,
2 November 1999
Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Both the
headline and the subheadline connote not
the government of a country but the people
living in a country and constitute an insult.
left: the daily Türkiye,
30 April 2006
right: the daily Yeniçağ,
17 November 2009
“A Bastardliness Typical of Michon” was
the front page headline of the daily Vakit
dated August 24, 2007. “Michon” (in
Turkish Mişon) is a common derogatory
word, in fact a name, symbolizing Jews
in Turkey. The story is about the Jewish
lobby allegedly working in the US for the
recognition of the Armenian genocide. The
wording of the heading generalizes the
alleged viciousness of the assumed activity
to cover a whole ethnic/religious group and
constitutes an insult towards Jews.
“Poison courier Transvestite caught at
the airport”. This headline is from the
daily Türkiye, dated April 30, 2006. The
news item is about an attempt to bring
narcotics into Turkey. Although there is no
connection between the crime itself and
the sexual orientation of the suspect, her
identity as a transvestite was emphasized in
such a way that the subject crime can easily
be identified with the group as a whole.
One of the most important chapters
of the report is the one containing the
recommendations for all parties involved in
this question: readers, media institutions
and members, NGOs, government, lawmakers and executors, public authorities,
political parties and politicians.
Throughout the work for this project the
Association for Social Change established
contacts with NGOs carrying out activities
in this area in different provinces of Turkey
for the purpose of creating a civil network
to wage a more efficient struggle against
hate crimes.
GENDER STUDIES
89
88
KAMER:
TO WORK
FOR WOMEN,
WITH WOMEN
“I got to know KAMER in 2006 thanks to a group
workshop they organized in our province as part of ‘An Opportunity for Every Woman Project’ and I was fascinated. I came to
realize that I had not been a woman until then. OK, I was married
with two beautiful daughters. But I had not been a woman. My
sexist frame of mind and taboos had been so oppressive that I
had forgotten my womanhood. Now I can say that I am a woman.
I have rights and I am struggling to protect them. I am hopeful
about the future of my daughters. They are growing up with KAMER and they have already started questioning.” From KAMER’s
book “We Can Stop This”
“An Opportunity for Every Women”
Projecṫ
for Every Woman” was one of KAMER’s
projects we valued most and have been
supporting since 2005.
The KAMER Foundation opened a
new era in women’s movement in
Turkey with its activities in Eastern and
Southeastern Anatolia since 1997 for
promoting awareness against gender-based
discrimination and violence as well as
advocacy and lobbying for development of
policies for this purpose. “An opportunity
In the first four years of the project KAMER
founded Women’s Centers in 23 provinces
in East and Southeast Turkey. In the second
phase KAMER focused on translating to life
the experience they acquired in Diyarbakır
and its vicinities in other parts of Turkey
for a more effective fight against violence
targeting women.
• The Project reached 23,968 women
through Women’s Centers set up in
23 provinces working for women’s
human rights and also awareness
raising workshops organized in 150
districts.
Women Get Together Project ̇
“Women who experienced
most bitterly all the
unfavorable consequences
of the hegemonic system
worldwide undertook the
leading role for bringing
about change for not
only themselves and their
immediate vicinity but also
for the society. Carrying out
activities in Eastern and
Southeastern Turkey since
1997 KAMER has developed
a working method for
generating awareness about
firmly established gender
roles and the violence and
discrimination which is an
outcome of such roles. With
the constructive support of
Open Society Foundation we
managed to build a grassroots
movement by making use of
this creative method.”
• The activities involved 5,450 home
visits, 500 meetings, following
KAMER, gaining much reputability both at
home and abroad with its activities against
Nebahat Akkoç, KAMER
Foundation Chair
Achievements of “An Opportunity for
Every Woman” Project
up the applications filed for 522
instances of violence and 35 “honor”
killings, and 700 small workshops.
• All these efforts saved 213 women
from falling victim to “honor”
killings and hundreds of women
from domestic violence.
91
90
To raıse awareness
about women’s
human rıghts,
awareness agaınst
gender-based
dıscrımınatıon
and vıolence; to
develop a common
language and
attıtude as well as
the abılıty
to share feelıngs
KAMER, There is No
Rightful Violence
meeting, Diyarbakır
KAMER, fieldwork
The United Nations
Declaration on the
Elimination of Violence
against Women makes
clear that “violence against
women is a manifestation of
historically unequal power
relations between men and
women.” That is to say, a
man’s murder of a woman
for “honor,” “jealousy,”
or whatever reason is a
manifestation of men’s
historical power over women.
Therefore, men’s claims that
they have committed such
murders due to reasons such
as “jealousy” or “honor”
do not make these murders
“psychological” or “cultural”
incidents. These murders are
political in the full sense of
the term.
From the KAMER book
“We Can Stop This”
We, as the Open Society Foundation, share
KAMER’s conviction that women’s getting
in touch with each other and conducting
joint activities would make a significant
contribution to societal peace. Furthermore,
greatly valuing all efforts to put an end
to violence and discrimination against
women, we were happy and proud to give
our support to KAMER’s broad-based
new initiative, “Women Get Together”
Project. The aim was to empower groups of
women with different geographical, cultural
and historical backgrounds, enable the
establishment of women’s organizations
to work against all kinds of discrimination
and violence, starting from those against
women and to help women contribute to the
democratization of Turkey.
In the first year of the project working
groups were established to seek ways to
develop new methods in building grassroots
organizations in Hatay, Maraş, Trabzon,
Manisa, Edirne and Tekirdağ in addition
to the 23 provinces KAMER had already
organized. Facilitators from KAMER paid
regular visits to these provinces and each of
these women groups of different cities were
matched with one of the KAMER branches
in the Southeast and East Turkey to build
platforms for joint activities. As a result
women from 32 provinces came together to
discuss non-violence, non-discrimination,
transparency, inclusion, militarism and
conscientious objection. The Project’s final
meeting in Diyarbakır in November 2011
was a first with the participation of 300
women from 32 provinces under theme
“There is no Rightful Violence”.
In 2012, the second year of the Project, four
more provinces were added to the first year’s
9 new provinces. Seeing that the women’s
responsiveness was beyond expectations
KAMER extended the scope of the project
to cover five new provinces in addition to
the second year’s four provinces, bringing
the total number of project provinces to 18.
As a result awareness groups were set up
comprising a total of 341 women in Trabzon,
Manisa, Tekirdağ, Edirne, Eskişehir,
Istanbul, Adana, Hatay, Maraş, Muğla,
Bodrum, Marmaris, Aydın, Artvin, Rize,
Afyon, Izmir and Bandırma.
During this period on top of all
achievements new women centers were
founded in eight provinces and work is
under way to open new ones in three others.
In addition four women centers affiliated
A story of an applicant
to KAMER’s Emergency
Help Hot Line:
She was 24, graduate of high school.
The family decided to put her to death
when she objected to the family’s choice
and attempted to marry to the man she loved.
KAMER helped her to get an attorney and
placed her in a women’s shelter. Support
was given to her to leave the country. She
married abroad the man she loved. Now
she continues with her education
and will live in the country
she has settled.
KAMER, early childhood
work
to municipalities were opened, four new
associations were founded and preparations
are going on for the establishment of two
more associations and one cooperative.
The Project’s second year activities were
finalized at the Istanbul meeting where
more than 200 women from 41 provinces
took part. Apart from a whole day meeting
the participants joined a demonstration
against violence.
The project activities continued in 2013
as well. The works in 18 provinces were
deepened and the awareness working
group meetings became regular gatherings
in addition to the extension of the project
scope to cover three new provinces, namely
Nevşehir, Kırşehir and Sivas.
One of the most impressive achievements of
these meetings was women’s getting together
to develop solutions to their common
problems on the basis of “womanhood”
as their common denominator, regardless
of their ethnic, religious, linguistic
backgrounds. Thus throughout the whole
process Kurdish, Turkish, Azeri, Terekeme,
Sunni, Roma, Arabian, Alevi, Dadaş, Greek,
Armenian women overcame all prejudices
and the objective of bringing women of
different origins together for a world free of
violence was realized.
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violence, discrimination and women’s
human rights, launched another project to
bring together women from East and West
Turkey around the common denominator of
“womanhood”.
11. INTERNATIONAL
FILMMOR
WOMEN’S
FILM FESTIVAL
ON WHEELS
We don’t have a ready-made definition of what
we call ‘women’s film’. While making a selection of films we first
pay attention that the film is not an anti-feminist production. Of
course we choose films which are definitely not racist, discriminatory, homophobic, ethnocentric, and so on. It’s obvious that we
don’t expect a woman to be free of all stereotypes just because
she is a woman. I can only guarantee that in this festival there
will be no film where women are depicted on the basis of gender
stereotypes, where a woman is not represented as a subject with
a character of her own, where women are overlooked, and more
than anything, where misogynist elements are present.” MELEK
ÖZMAN, Project Coordinator
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To famılıarıze
audıence wıth
women’s fılms to
a greater extent,
brıng together
women fılm makers
from Turkey and
from the world,
and contrıbute
to an ıncrease ın
women’s ındıvıdual
and joınt
productıons
Filmmor aims to:
• Enhance women’s capabilities and
Founded in 2003, Filmmor Women’s
Cooperative aims at producing films by
and for women; increasing the presence
of women in cinema and the media;
improving women’s opportunities to
express themselves, and boosting nonsexist representations and experiences of
women. Filmmor has been organizing right
from the start cinema workshops, women’s
films festivals, exhibitions, conferences and
film screenings.
Organized in 2013 with the support of our
Foundation the 11. International Filmmor
Women’s Film Festival on Wheels proved
to be a very colorful experience with a wide
variety of events and activities. Featuring
films under various themes, after Istanbul
the festival visited Bitlis in partnership
with Mizgin Women’s Association, Sinop
in cooperation with Sinop Women’s
Platform and Izmir with the support of
Izmir Women’s Solidarity Association.
During the festival film reading workshops,
workshops with women directors on film
production, talks with directors from
Turkey and from abroad and a panel
discussion with the topic “Our Bodies
are Ours ” were also organized.
possibilities to participate in the art of cinema,
cultural and social life, their visibility and their
ability to express themselves;
• Promote festivals accessible to women in areas other
than metropols, enhance such festivals’ effectiveness and
ensure their sustainability;
• Contribute to the creation of an environment enabling
better participation of women in cinema and other areas;
and
• Bringing women from Turkey in contact
with women from other countries and their
productions and contribute to greater
visibility of women film makers from
Turkey on international scale.
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DITAM:
SURVEY
ON SOCIAL
DYNAMICS
OF EARLY
MARRIAGES
The
project covering the year 2014 as
well is being carried out jointly
by Tigris Communal Research
Center (DITAM) and KAMER to
analyze a number of dynamics
playing part in the question of
the “child brides” in Turkey. The
problem is no more peculiar to
the rural areas of the country, but
became an issue in cities as well
with the increase in domestic and
overseas migration and accelerating
urbanization. What are the factors
that give social legitimacy to early
marriages? What are the arguments
of women making early marriages
and of those involved in the process,
such as the elder family members,
religious leaders, opinion makers?
What kinds of meanings are
attributed to such marriages? In
what ways the women making early
marriages express their experiences
and views in this respect? The
survey will seek answering these
and similar questions through
in depth interviews with women
marrying under 18 and the decision
makers actively taking part in these
marriages in the rural areas of
Diyarbakır, Urfa and Siirt. The data
collected from the interviews will be
used in analyzing cultural, religious,
economic and family factors that give
social legitimacy to early marriages.
SEMIHA
ES- WOMEN
PHOTOGRAPHERS
INTERNATIONAL
SYMPOSIUM
The
symposium was organized on 28
and 29 November 2013 jointly by
three reputable organizations and
supported by our Foundation in
the memory of Turkey’s first woman
travel and war photographer Semiha
Es (1912-2012). The partners of the
project were Koç University Center
for Gender Studies (KOÇKAM),
Women’s Museum Istanbul and
Sabancı University Gender and
Women Studies Forum. The aim
was to make visible and critically
evaluate the contributions of women
photographers in the 21st century.
The speakers in the symposium were
photographers working on themes
closely connected to social policies
such as state violence, memory,
and sexuality; some of them being
influential activists in their respective
countries. The symposium served as a
setting of not only vibrant discussions
about the world of photography
but also hosted an exhibition of
30 photographs from Semiha Es’
personal archives. An event organized
in parallel to the symposium was
the exhibition “Second Eye: Women
Photographers from Turkey” that
took place in Sismanoglio Megaro,
the exhibition hall of the Consulate
General of Greece, which attracted
nearly 1000 visitors.
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Attachıng specıal ımportance to women’s human rıghts, gender equalıty ın socıal lıfe,
and raısıng awareness on vıolence agaınst women, Open Socıety Foundatıon, supported
many other projects under thıs topıc ın the perıod 2009-2013. Below are some of these
projects whıch we were happy to gıve our support.
LGBT STUDIES
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in between: Poster of
the film “My Child”
below: A snapshot from
LİSTAG Adana meeting
A comment on the
documentary “My Child”
“Knowledge is power. Listen to your beloved ones
and educate yourselves. The more you are informed of the stories and experiences of persons with different sexual orientations
and those choosing gender transformation, the more you can
be helpful and give your love and support to the one you love
to lead a healthy life.” From the book “I am the mother of a
transvestite”
The most common feeling amongst those
seeking help from LGBT organizations was
fear; the fear that a disaster would happen if
their families would learn the truth. “What
if my mother has a heart attack? What if my
father kicks me out, or worse than that, if he
kills me?” are only a few subjects of anxiety
they have to deal with.
LİSTAG (The Lambdaistanbul Family
Group), which was first organized within
Lambdaistanbul, and then continued
their work independently, was founded
by the families of LGBT individuals for
the purpose of helping their children to
overcome their fears, and to come out to
their families; and to support the families in
approaching the question in a constructive
and embracing manner.
“A straightforward
and sincere story of the
most powerful, most
uncompromising resistance
against homophobia and
transphobia.””
!f International
Independent Film Festival
When LİSTAG, in response to the
requests they received, decided to reach
out to places other than big cities such
as Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir we, as the
Open Society Foundation, didn’t hesitate
to support them.
The working group organized meetings
in 2010 in Eskişehir and Diyarbakır in
cooperation with local organizations
for the families who learned that
their children or brothers/sisters were
homosexual, bisexual, transvestite or
transsexual. Psychiatrists from Association
of Sexual Education, Rehabilitation and
Research (CETAD) also attended these
meetings where panel discussions and film
screenings took place as well.
The documentary “My Child” was a
milestone in the LİSTAG’s history of selfless
work which we are happy to support since
the foundation of the organization. The
film featuring the stories of five mothers
and two fathers, all LİSTAG volunteers,
was screened in 18 provinces, namely
Adana, Afyon, Antakya, Antalya, Antep,
Balıkesir, Bursa, Çanakkale, Denizli, Edirne,
Kocaeli, Sakarya, Mersin, Muğla, Samsun,
Trabzon, Van and Zonguldak and in two
new provinces work has started to set
up new LİSTAG groups. The full-length
documentary My Child asks families the
question: “what would you do if you learn
that your child is a homosexual, bisexual,
transvestite or transsexual?”
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To support LGBT
ındıvıduals’
‘comıng out’ to
theır famılıes, help
parents deal wıth
thıs fact, and to
extend the famıly
support work
beyond Istanbul:
LAMBDA
EXTENDS ITS
SUPPORT TO
FAMILIES WITH
LGBT CHILDREN
ACROSS TURKEY
above: LİSTAG family
group
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“PEMBE
HAYAT”
(PINK LIFE)
ADVOCACY
AND
STRATEGIC
LITIGATION
PROJECT Pembe
Hayat LGBTT Solidarity Association,
which is amongst the organizations
enjoying our support in this field,
developed an important project
named “Strategic Litigation in
Connection with Violence and
Use of the Law of Misdemeanor
against Trans
Individuals”.
The project
aimed to
provide
attorneys to
represent the trans individuals at the
court, raise public awareness about
their problems and carry out a oneyear work of monitoring, reporting,
strategic litigation and advocacy
in support of them. The work will
document violation of rights of trans
people, open legal cases against
fines charged under the Law of
Misdemeanor and carry out strategic
litigation on behalf of trans people
falling victim to violence by the
police and gangs.
STRENGTHENING
MECHANISMS
OF ACCESS
TO JUSTICE
FOR LGBT
PEOPLE LGBT people,
who suffer from discrimination and
exclusion in every quarter of life,
can’t escape from discrimination
even during the judicial processes
when they go to court. With this
bitter fact in mind the Social
Policies, Gender Identity and Sexual
Orientation Studies Association
(SPoD) started a project with
our Foundation’s support for
“Strengthening Mechanisms of
Access to Justice for LGBT People
in Turkey”. Within the framework
of the project a series of training
courses were organized to help
increase the number of lawyers who
are well-informed and experienced
in this area. The aim was to
consider LGBT rights as part of
human rights and developing legal
defense methods. Lawyers from
Ankara, İzmir, Batman, Diyarbakır,
Denizli, Eskişehir, Bursa, Gaziantep,
İstanbul and Northern Cyprus
took part in the training courses
given under a large variety of topics
including “National Legislation and
Implementation”, “Lawyer-Client
Relations”, “Phases in Gender
Transformation and Labor Law”,
and “Introduction to Human
Rights Law”.
KAOS GL:
DISSEMINATION IN
TURKEY OF
STANDARDS
ON
COMBATING
DISCRIMINATION ON
GROUNDS
OF SEXUAL
ORIENTATION
AND GENDER
IDENTITY Kaos Gay
and Lesbian Cultural Research and
Solidarity Association (Kaos GL),
with our Foundation’s support
initiated this project whereby two
very important and updated books,
the UN book Born Free and Equal and
the Council of Europe’s document
Combating Discrimination on Grounds
of Sexual Orientation and Gender
Identity were translated into Turkish
and distributed to every section of
the society, first and foremost to the
public authorities.
SPOD:
BRINGING
LGBT RIGHTS
PERSPECTIVE
INTO LOCAL
POLITICS IN
TURKEY This project
proposed by the Social Policies,
Gender Identity and Sexual
Orientation Studies Association
(SPoD) was another initiative
we supported to bring to the
public attention LGBT people’s
expectations and demands from
local governments. Within the
framework of the project SPoD
carried out field work during the
local elections in March 2014 to
monitor the local governments’
works and to help them acquire a
LGBT rights perspective. During
the project work will be carried
out for developing LGBT people’s
capacity to raise their demands from
the local authorities, strengthening
the communication between
LGBT rights organizations and
the political parties and setting
examples of best practices in places
where parties sensitive to LGBT
rights come to power on local basis.
A School of Local Government
Politics will be founded where LGBT
individuals will be equipped with
knowledge about participation in
local decision making bodies such
as city councils and municipal
councils to support those who aspire
to take part in active politics. We
believe that the experience and
achievements gained from this
project conducted in Istanbul,
Ankara, Izmir and Diyarbakır will
contribute to a change not only in
LGBT individuals’ relations with the
local governments but also in the
political culture of Turkey.
WE ALSO
SUPPORTED;
• 4th, 5th, and 6th, International
Homophobia Meetings
organized by Kaos Gay and
Lesbian Cultural Research and
Solidarity Association (Kaos
GL) since 2006;
• The field study by Hebûn, an
organization bringing together
LGBT people
in Diyarbakır,
working for
identifying
problems
experienced by
LGBT people
in Diyarbakır
and other
nearby provinces, looking for
possible solutions, enhancing
their capacity to defend their
rights, and strengthening their
capabilities to get organized;
• The project “Who are we?
Truths About Sex Workers” by
Red Umbrella Sexual Health and
Human Rights Association, an
organization working on issues
related to trans sexual workers;
and the publication of “Sex
Workers: Myths and Realities”
within the scope of the project.
• 3rd and 4th of the “Day of
Struggle against Hate Crimes”
organized in Izmir in the
memory of the journalist Baki
Koşar who had fallen victim to
a hate crime in 2010, by Black
Pink Triangle Izmir LGBTT
Association.
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We, as the Open Socıety Foundatıon, contrıbuted to other projects
wıthın thıs category durıng the fıve years covered by our report.
CIVIL SOCIETY
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TÜSEV: CIVIL
SOCIETY
MONITORING
REPORT 2012
Third Sector Foundation of Turkey
(TÜSEV) published its second report
providing an in-depth analysis of
the main
topics of
Turkey’s
non-profit
sector
including
civil
society –
government
relations, legal and financial
infrastructure in this respect,
resources available to the
civil society, governance and
international relations. The report
covers the developments in 20112012 and challenges encountered in
practice, highlighting comparative
data revealing both advances and
setbacks in the development of the
third sector. The research carried
out with our Foundation’s support
involved case studies elaborated
through interviews conducted face to
face, via telephone calls and e-mail
messages.
BILGI
UNIVERSITY:
GUIDELINES
FOR
MONITORING
PUBLIC
EXPENDITURES The
Guidelines for Monitoring Public
Expenditures published by the
Istanbul Bilgi University, NGO
Training and Research Center with
Open Society Foundation’s support
aimed at suggesting structured
methods for
monitoring
government
spending,
sharing these
with NGOs
and produce
a written
material
for use by
individuals, NGOs or platforms in
monitoring public spending. The
seven guidelines prepared within the
framework of the project are: 1) Basic
Budget Literacy; 2) Multiannual
Budget; 3) Military and Domestic
Security Spending; 4) Social
Protection Spending; 5) Public
Spending for Disabled People; 6)
Public Spending for Empowering the
Youth; and 7) Public Spending for
the Protection of Children.
SATURDOX
DOCUMENTARY
MEETINGS AT
‘DEPO’ SaturDox/
Documentary Program at DEPO
in Istanbul is going on for the past
three years with our Foundation’s
support. The program involves film
screenings on Saturdays every two
weeks and talks on the theme of
the week. The films and meetings
program is decided jointly by Depo
and Documentarist team, the
organizer of documentary films
festival in Turkey since 2008. The
gathering on Saturdays starts with
the screening of a documentary
film chosen on the basis of a theme
identified for that week, followed by
presentations by persons working
on the subject theme. The films are
chosen amongst those shown during
the Documentarist – Istanbul
Documentary Film Days in the
past years, as well as those which
have not been screened in Istanbul
so far. The main criteria of choice
are social, economic and political
content as well as the film’s qualities
in terms of aesthetics and form. The
full-length documentaries chosen
for the program involve topics from
a large geographical span covering
Balkans, Caucasus and Middle East
including Turkey.
BLACK
RIBBON:
FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION
IN ARTS
PROJECT The
Black Ribbon Project carried out
by Performing Arts Research and
Creation Association (PARC) was
developed to provide information
about censorship on art works, to
document cases of censorship, to
analyze them and to struggle against
censorship. The website of the project
opened in August 2011 provides a list
of censorship cases since 2000 and
underlines a variety of censorship
methods including punishments,
bans, and criminalization. In addition
to media monitoring, for the purpose
of revealing the hidden cases of
censorship, the Black Band team
carried out 80 face-to-face interviews
in nine cities and presented the
outcome of the survey in the meeting
“Freedom of Expression in Art and
Censorship” held on 29 September
2012. A book was also published
compiling a selection of cases
documented in the website and
featuring articles on the subject with
a view to evaluate the findings of the
survey and start a constructive debate
on censorship.
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Below are the projects we supported under the ‘Cıvıl Socıety’ category to render
socıal dynamıcs effectıve, strengthen mechanısms for cıvıl socıety’s supervısıon
over government processes and ıncrease ıts organızatıonal capacıty.
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