The person who suffers the most violence is the woman

Gender inequality also deepens gender-based violence. Violence; is any behavior, threat, pressure or obstruction that may occur in private or social life that has or may have the result of physical, sexual, psychological harm and distress. While the majority of those affected by gender and gender-based violence are girls and women, boys and men can also suffer from violence. Violence hurts in many ways. Making a superficial definition of violence can prevent many types of violence from being visible. Creating space to define and talk about gender-based violence is an important step towards preventing it.

In May, when the theme of gender-based violence came to the fore, we conducted the informative meeting ‘we talk about violence’ with the women in our working group.

Mavi Kalem Child Protection Project coordinator participated as the speaker at the meeting. We touched on issues such as violence, types of violence, mechanisms that we can resort to when we experience or witness violence.

Women participated actively in the issues of violence and types of violence, and gave examples from what they experienced or saw in their environment.

– Violence is not just beating, there are different types. Looking, talking, not just hitting.

– The person who suffers the most violence is the woman from her husband. This is the most painful.

– Our friend is also exposed to violence. Imprisoning someone is also violence.

– Violence is not only from her husband, brother, mother, friend. Children are also exposed to violence.

– Technology has ruined children. You see, the child is 19 years old and is exposed to violence from his family. There is violence not only outside, but within the family. It exists also in technology, on social media.

– I saw violence from my neighbors. They inflicted violence on me and my children because we are Syrians.

– There is a violence that the man uses against his wife, my life has passed with the threat of him wanting to remarry while we were still living together. I was threatened because I didn’t dress well, that’s a complete threat, because I did not weaken myself, because I did not look like actors, because I had to do my makeup like an actress. In our marriage, the woman has to live under the man’s command, under the command of his mother, under the command of his family. I’m human, they made me suffer. How will I forget this pain? These made wounds in my heart.

We talked about the negative consequences of violence and what can be done to prevent it. The women stated that especially talking about violence, defining it and sharing information about how to prevent it strengthened them.