President Ersin Tatar's message on December 5, Women's Rights Day
President Ersin Tatar emphasises in the message he published on the occasion of December 5, Women's Rights Day: “Addressing the problems of our women, who are instrumental in shaping our society through their attributes, skills and knowledge, should not be limited to today”
“The founders of the Republic of Turkey, in particular the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, believed that the Turkish nation should modernise and develop together with the observance of non-discrimination between men and women. They believed that Turkish women had to be more prominently involved and active in social life, and necessary legal arrangements were drawn up and enacted to pave the way for this objective. The fact that women took their place next to men without hesitation, especially during the national struggle which led to the independence of the Republic of Turkey, was one of the pivotal moments that led them to this reasoning. This was the reason why Mustafa Kemal Atatürk said that the self-sacrificing Turkish women, who physically carried armaments to the front lines during difficult times, cannot be treated any differently to men in our society.
In a speech he made on March 21, 1923, Atatürk emphasised that women should be given certain rights. On this subject he pointed out that ‘A nation consists of men and women' and to emphasise the importance of the situation, he asked ‘Is it possible that half of a community is chained to the land, while the other half can rise to the sky?'
As a result, in light of Atatürk's thoughts, studies and directives on this subject; since the adoption of the Turkish Civil Code on February 17, 1926, women gradually began to gain the civil, political and social rights they deserved. While women gained the right to vote and be elected in municipal elections, with the Municipality Law enacted on April 3, 1930, after the adoption of the Turkish Civil Code, they gained the same right in the mukhtar elections on October 26, 1933. Finally, with the Constitutional amendment made on December 5, 1934 and the enactment of the Law governing the election of Parliamentarians, women gained the right to elect and to be elected into the Legislature. The significance of these steps which was carried out following the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey cannot be undermined, and became an example to many other nations – including European countries – who also followed suit and passed laws enabling women to enter into their respective Parliaments.
I commemorate December 5, Women's Rights Day and offer my gratitude and respects to our women. I hope that the problems of our women, who are instrumental in shaping our society through their attributes, skills and knowledge, are not limited to this day alone.”