ABTTF attended the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting

The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) attended the Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting organized by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that took place from 6 to 7 May 2010 in the Austrian capital Vienna. Fatma Resit and Melek Kirmacı, members of ABTTF International Affairs and Lobbying Group, and Pervin Hayrullah, member of the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (BTAYTD), represented the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace at the meeting entitled “Promotion of Gender Balance and Participation of Women in Political and Public Life”.

During the session “Promoting gender equality in the OSCE region”, Fotini Sianou, Greece’s National Representative to the United Nations on Gender Equality, made a speech on the behalf of the General Secretariat on Gender Equality that operates under the Greek Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights. Sianou stated that the representation rate of the women in the Greek Parliament, who possessed 52 chairs out of 300, was 17.3%, adding that gender balance should be strictly respected at the local elections that were planned to be held in 2010. During the regarding session, Pervin Hayrullah, member of BTAYTD, mentioned the problems Assistant Mayor of Rodopi Sibel Mustafaoglu had faced during her political career. Furthermore, Hayrullah also pointed out the discussions on Mustafaoglu’s appointment to the State Hospital of Komotini.

During the second session entitled “Empowering women as political party members and as elected officials”, Fotini Sianou stated that the level of competition was going to get tougher at local elections following the new plan that foresaw 2/3 decline in the municipalities that were currently around 1034. In this session, member of ABTTF International Affairs and Lobbying Group Melek Kirmacı stated that at the last Greek national elections, sixteen persons belonging to the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace were proposed as candidates in the lists of the majority political parties, but only two of them were women.

During the last session entitled “Ensuring gender balance and women’s effective participation in public life”, Fatma Reşit, member of ABTTF International Affairs and Lobbying Group, underlined that education level among the women belonging to the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace was significantly low, adding that according to the results of the surveys conducted within the framework of the project called “Reaching out to Countryside(KÖYEP)” by BTAYTD, only 5.3% of the women that participated in the surveys were either university graduates or attending university. During the same session, Fotini Sianou, uttered that they listened to the speeches of “vulnerable groups”, and underlined that women significantly needed to be empowered at all areas of social life. Sianou also added that they aimed to promote participation of women in political and public life under the framework of thirteen mechanisms figured out in the Programme on Gender Balance 2010-2013.