Gender Equality MARCH 2020 Gender Equality | Page 4

consideration under each of these titles. In the Plan, with the aim of promoting gender equality
objectives, targets and implementation strategies have been established in order to constitute a
base for development and implementation of the public policies. Also for each implementation
strategy responsible institutions and agencies and cooperation institutions have been determined.
In the whole stages of the National Action Plan implementation period of which has started after
the approval of the State Minister in charge of Women and Family Affairs cooperation with all
stakeholders was considered as an important part. As a result of this, the Plan has been prepared
with a large participation from relevant public institutions and agencies, NGOs, trade unions and
confederations of workers-employers, professional organizations, Turkish representatives of
international organizations, political parties and universities. In Turkey although a similar National
Action Plan Gender Equality was prepared in 1998, among the targets of this previous Plan only
some legal arrangements could be accomplished.
Therefore, it is given utmost importance to the monitoring and assessment process of the latest
National Action Plan Gender Equality (2008-2013) which is under practice presently. Within this
scope, monitoring and assessment committees have been formed for each of the critical area under
the coordination of KSGM. Representatives of responsible institutions and agencies will take part in
these committees corresponding to implementation strategies defined in respective critical area.
The mentioned committees will convene twice a year at six-month intervals following the
submission of reports by relevant parties to KSGM and will carry out the evaluation in terms of the
implementation of the National Action Plan. In case of detection of shortcomings in the
implementation process, KSGM, having the responsibility of monitoring, will take the necessary
steps by the responsible institutions in order to overcome deficiencies. As for violence against
women, one of the critical areas stated in Beijing Platform for Action, again by the participation of
all related parties a separate action plan has been prepared and it has been put into effect in 2010
under the title of “Combating Domestic Violence against Women National Action Plan”. 3 With the
Plan it is targeted to improve the conditions in six main fields which are legal arrangements, social
awareness and mental transformation, advancement of women’s socioeconomic status, protective
services, curative and rehabilitation services and inter-sectoral cooperation.
In this respect, various responsibilities have been given to related public institutions and agencies
and cooperative institutions. Above mentioned developments have been carried out in the direction
of country requirements/demands and considering international obligations. In this context, the
regulations in United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW) taken into consideration primarily, also the European Social Charter, European
Union Acquis, conventions, decisions and recommendations of institutions such as the International
Labour Organization (ILO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD),
the Cairo Conference on World Population and Development Action Plan, the Fourth World
Conference on Women Action Plan and the Beijing Declaration, and the target of Millennium
Development Goals on gender equality have been taken into account. As it is known, Turkey signed
“The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women” (CEDAW) in
1985 and the Convention was ratified in 1986 with certain reservations, since some provisions of the
Convention were incompatible with the Family Law section of the Turkish Civil Code. These
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