Women and Democracy Association (KADEM) will be held the Second International Women and Justice Summit on Nov. 25-26, 2016, in İstanbul, in cooperation with Turkish Ministry of Family and Social Policies.

The program of the International Women & Justice Summit has been announced as follows:

 

II. INTERNATIONAL WOMEN AND JUSTICE SUMMIT PANEL SESSIONS

SESSION 1

WOMEN IN PEACE PROCESSES

There is no doubt that women and children are the most vulnerable victims of war and violence although they themselves are not the cause of it. Women lose their homes and become homeless with their children; they are forced to live in unhealthy environmental conditions, face unhealthy nutritional conditions, and lose the opportunity of reaching necessary educational as well as health services. Issues like, at which level are women present within the ongoing peace and intermediacy processes activated in order to stop the clashes on a national as well as international level; to what extent can they be effective in these processes; and what kind of mechanisms should be called on in order to provide their presence within these processes in an effective manner, will be discussed in this session.

 

SYRIAN REFUGEE WOMEN AND THEIR PROBLEMS

The civil war in Syria has been continuing for five years. Millions of people have lost their homes and homeland because of this war. Women together with their children are the greatest victims of war. Millions of women have faced the loss of their husbands, families and homeland and they have become stateless refugees in various countries. Those women are experiencing at first hand financial difficulties, unhealthy conditions of nutrition, shelter and reproduction, and some of them are abused in various ways. Many women and children illegally trying to escape to Europe are facing death. The many faceted traumas the Syrian women are experiencing are undoubtedly the century’s most important human tragedy. In this session, the multifaceted problems Syrian women are experiencing will be talked over, various dimensions of these problems and solution proposals will be elaborated.

 

SESSION 2

WOMEN IN THEIR WORKING LIFE AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Women face multidimensional problems related to their working life. Those problems, although they present differences regarding societies, form the barriers preventing women’s involvement in the working life at desired levels. The working women experience difficulties arising at first from the traditional roles tailored for them within the family life and the roles they have taken on within the public arena. Since working women are shouldering chores like maternity, child care, and house works, their responsibilities in those fields may cause women to leave work under some circumstances. Additionally, discrimination, sexual abuse, psychological abuse (i.e. mobbing), and low salary are among the difficulties women are facing in their working life. In this session, the multidimensional problems women are facing within their working life will be elaborated.

 

POLITICAL LIFE, CIVIL SOCIETY, AND WOMEN IN DECISION MECHANISMS

In most places around the world, women are not effective enough in politics and decision mechanisms, as well as participation in social life. The non-participation of women in decision mechanisms and social life is mainly due to the experience barriers, restricted possibilities and limited opportunities. Starting from here, in this session, the picture of women’s presence in politics, local governments, top level decision mechanisms, working life and civil society will be presented, and strategies to activate the potential of women in these areas will be discussed.

 

 

SESSION 3

COMBATING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND DISCRIMINATION

Violence is among the most important problem areas that women face all over the World. Violence encompasses a wide range of problem areas starting from psychological oppression, humiliation, sexual abuse, discrimination, exploitation, punishment and at the end extending to death. The women face these areas of violence not only in public spaces, on the street or at work but also they might face violence within the family. Thus “domestic violence” has become a major problem that women experience. Women’s discrimination and exclusion is not just because of their gender. They are also discriminated against and excluded because of religious, ethnic, class based and racial reasons. Taking a start from the multifaceted discrimination and exclusion experiences of women this session will take the different facets of violence against women, discrimination and exclusion into account, and ways and the methods to fight against these issues will be discussed.

 

CULTURAL CODES AND MASCULINITY

Femininity and masculinity are not concepts describing only the natural differences among the genders; these concepts gain meaning and value within specific cultures. The meaning attached to these two concepts is at the heart of social gender discrimination. The natural differences among the genders are reproduced by cultural values and norms, and the societal roles are determined according to these norms and values. Generally, while masculinity is associated with values belonging to public spaces like politics, the economy, the mind, the state and history, femininity is associated mostly with domestic roles. This way of reproducing femininity and masculinity, naturally forms the cultural base of the superiority of men over women. In this session, the stereotypes and patterns of masculinity will be brought to the table, and the problems these stereotypes and patterns cause for women will be noted.

  

SESSION 4

WOMEN IN CINEMA, TELEVISION AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Visual and printed media is presenting the woman’s body in a different display than of her own personality, by transforming woman’s bodies into sexual objects. On the one hand, the media is offering an ideal standard gender stereotype by transforming woman into a sexual object and forcing all women to imitate this stereotype, on the other hand it is also trying to market all of the consumed and commercialized objects through an image of a woman’s body and sexuality. In this way the woman’s body is used for other purposes by reducing it to a sexual object and abusing it. In this session, the abuse of the woman’s body in cinema, television and social media will be elaborated through various perspectives.

 

WOMEN’S ACCESS TO JUSTICE AND LAW

In this session, the notions of equality and justice as well as legal problems of women shall be addressed. The legal problems encountered by women in areas ranging from work life to criminal laws, from family law to labor laws and constitutions shall be discussed in detail. What kind of problems related to women exist in legal regulations? Do these problems differ between different societies? Are there any real life equivalence of the steps taken in the legal arena? What kind of problems are encountered in the process of putting the legal arrangements made in favor of women in practice?

 

 II. INTERNATIONAL WOMEN AND JUSTICE SUMMIT

25 – 26 NOVEMBER 2016

 

 

 

NOVEMBER 25, 2016

 

09:00-09:30    Registration

 

10:00-12:00    Opening Ceremony

Statement by E. Sare Aydın Yılmaz (KADEM, The President of Women and Democracy Association, Turkey)

Statement by Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir (UN Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia and Representative to Turkey)

Statement by Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya (Minister of Family and Social Policies, Turkey)

Statement by the Honorable President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (President of Turkey)

 

12:00-14:00    Lunch

 

14:00-16:00    Ministerial Level Meeting

 

Moderator: Özlem Zengin, Presidental Principal Consultant, Lawyer

1. Azerbaijan
2. Bosnia And Herzegovina
3. Palestine
4. Iran
5. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
6. Kosovo
7. Liberia
8. Greece
9. Tunis
10. Turkey

 

NOVEMBER 26, 2016

 

09:00-10:30            SESSION 1

HALL A            1.   WOMEN IN PEACE PROCESSES

 

Moderator: Prof. Dr. BERİL DEDEOĞLU (Galatasaray University, TURKEY)

 

  Speakers:

1. MAGDALENA KIRCHNER (Transatlantic Postdoctoral Fellow in International Relations and Security (TAPIR) at the RAND Corporation, USA)

 

2. FAWZIA KOOFI (Member of Parliament, Chairperson of Women, Civil Society and Human Rights Commission – Author, AFGHANISTAN)

 

3. DAISY KHAN (Executive Director of the Women’s Islamic Initiative for Spirituality and Equality (WISE), USA)

 

4. BELLO OLANREWAJU TAIWO (University of Saskatchewan, CANADA)

Question & Answer

 

 

HALL B            2.   SYRIAN REFUGEE WOMEN AND THEIR PROBLEMS

                      

                          Moderator: Dr. KEREM KINIK (President of Turkish Red Crescent, TURKEY)

 

                   Speakers:

1. MEHMET HALİS BİLDEN (President of Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, TURKEY)

 

2. Dr. SAWSAN HAIDER KHRIES (University of Yarmouk, JORDAN)

 

3. MINAL PATEL DAVIS (Special Advisor to the Mayor on Human Trafficking Office of Mayor Sylvester Turner, USA)

 

4. Assoc. Prof. LAURA NAVARRO (University of Valencia, SPAIN)

 

Question & Answer

 

10:30-10:45            Coffee Break

 

 

10:45-12:15            SESSION 2

HALL A            1.  WOMEN IN THEIR WORKING LIFE AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Moderator:  Assoc. Prof. E. SARE AYDIN YILMAZ (President of Women and Democracy Association, Women20 Committee Member,TURKEY)

 

 Speakers:

1. ALMAS JIWANI (Emeritus UN Women National Committee Canada & CEO of Almas Jiwani Foundation, CANADA)

 

2. FERRAH ŞARMAN (Director of Human Resources and Training at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, TURKEY)

 

3. Dr. LINZI JANICE KEMP (American University of Sharjah, U.A.E.)

 

4. VASİM AKRAM (Aligarh Muslim University, INDIA)

 

Question & Answer

 

 

HALL B                        2. POLITICAL LIFE, CIVIL SOCIETY, AND WOMEN IN DECISION MECHANISMS

Moderator: Assoc. Prof. MERVE KAVAKÇI (Üsküdar University, Director of Postcolonial Studies Research Center, TURKEY)

 

 Speakers:

1. Dr. MALEKTAJ KHOSRAVI BABANARI (Islamic Azad University, IRAN)
2. FARAH MOHAMED (Girls20 – Founder & CEO, CANADA)
3. SUNAY KARAMIK (Chairwoman of KA.DER, Association for Support of Women Candidates, TURKEY)
4. TERRY INCE (Kimeta Vice President Marketing and Business Development, TDI & Associates Founder, Project Manager, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO)

Question & Answer

 

12:15-13:30            LUNCH

 

13:30-15:00            SESSION III

HALL A                        1. COMBATING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND DISCRIMINATION

Moderator: Prof. ABUL BASHAR MOHAMMAD ABU NUMAN, (University Of Chittagong, BANGLADESH)

        Speakers:

1. SOUMAYA GHANNOUSHI (Writer, TUNIS / UK)

2. NOERA AYAZ (Lawyer – Women in Islam, Inc., USA)

3. TÜLAY KAYNARCA (Member of Parliament, The Grand National Assembly of Turkey, The Committee on Equality of Opportunity for Women and Men, TURKEY)

4. NASHIRA CHAVEZ (University of Miami, ECUADOR)

 

Question & Answer

 

HALL B            2.   CULTURAL CODES AND MASCULINITY

Moderator: FATMA MEHDI HASSAM (Chairperson for Women & Gender of African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU ECOSOCC), ETHIOPIA)

 Speakers:

1. Prof. K. MANIMEKALAI (Former Vice-Chancellor of Mother Teresa Women’s University, Alagappa University, Director of Center for Women’s Studies, INDIA)

 

2. Assoc. Prof. DEREK BURRILL (Associate Professor at University of California, Author, USA)

 

3. Dr. FADILA GRINE (Family Affairs at the Department of Cultural, Social and Family Issues at OIC, SAUDI ARABIA)

 

4. Prof. Dr. EMİNE ÖZMETE (Head of the Center on Aging Studies Implementation and Research, Ankara University, Faculty Member of Health Sciences, Department of Social Work, TURKEY)

 

Question & Answer

 

15:00-15:15            Coffee Break

 

15:15-16:45            SESSION IV

HALL A            1.  WOMEN IN CINEMA, TELEVISION AND SOCIAL MEDIA

           Moderator: UYANIŞ TUĞTAŞ BAYAR (TV 360, TURKEY)

 

        Speakers:

 

1. AIDA BEGIĆ (Film Director and Screenwriter, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA)

 

2. AYESHA ZAFAR (Kinnaird College to University of Lahore, PAKISTAN)

 

3. SARAH JONES (TRT World, Tv Presenter, TURKEY)

 

4. FAILA PAŠIĆ BIŠIĆ (European Institute for Gender Equality, SLOVENIA)

 

Question & Answer

 

 

HALL B            2. WOMEN’S ACCESS TO JUSTICE AND LAW

Moderator: SERAP YAŞAR (Member of Parliament – The Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Spokesperson for Justice Commission,  TURKEY)

Speakers:  

1. CHANDRA RAJAN (International Arbitrator & Advocate at Supreme Court, INDIA)

 

2. MARJATTA HIEKKA (Legal Counsellor at Ministry for Foreign Affairs, FINLAND)

 

3. MOHAMMED AL-TARAWNEH (Judge at Cassation Court, JORDAN)

 

4. Dr. NAJIBAH MOHD ZIN (International Islamic University, MALAYSIA)

 

Question & Answer

 

16:45-17:00            Coffee Break

 

 

17:00-18:30            FOCUS GROUP WORKSHOPS 

 

1. SYRIAN WOMEN REFUGEES AND THEIR PROBLEMS – FGW 1

Moderator: Meryem İlayda Atlas (Lacivert; Editor-in-Chief / Daily Sabah; Columnist, TURKEY)

Participants:

1. Dr. Nibal Khalil (Al-Quds University, ISRAEL)
2. Dr. Nergis Dama (Yıldırım Beyazıt University, TURKEY)
3. Gamze Yıldız Şeren Kurular (Namık Kemal University, TURKEY)
4. Haram Ahmad Oumar (Ethiopian Airlines, CHAD)
5. Şirin Dilli (Giresun University, TURKEY)
6. Aya Sultan (Syrian Refugee, TURKEY)
7. Maysaa Abu Hassen (Syrian Refugee, TURKEY)

 

Debate, Question & Answer

 

2. WOMEN AND PEACE – FGW 2

Moderator: Mehla Ahmed Talebna (Director General of Cultural, Social and Family Affairs, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), SAUDI ARABIA)

            Participants:

1. Frances Piagie Alghali (Human Rights Defender, SIERRA LEONE)
2. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nüket Elpeze Ergeç (Çukurova University, TURKEY)
3. Nadjiba Badi Boukemidja (University of Algiers – Faculty of Law, ALGERIA)
4. Ramila Dadashova (Institute of Caucasian Studies of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, AZERBAIJAN)
5. Mamoona Nazeer (Project Adviser, Minhaj Women League, Research Scholar, Minhaj-ul-Quran International, PAKISTAN)
6. Ebru Demir (Sussex University, UK)
7. Sarah Laaru (Monaliiku Ry, FINLAND)

 

Debate, Question & Answer

 

18:30-18:45            SUMMIT REPORTING

                                   Prof. Dr. Ömer Çaha (Yıldız Teknik University, TURKEY)

 

For more information: http://womenandjusticesummit.org/