A report on women’s rights in Turkey presented by pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) group deputy chair Filiz Kerestecioğlu to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) showed that 25,523 women have been dismissed from their jobs under an ongoing state of emergency declared immediately after a botched coup attempt in Turkey in July 2016.
According to a Cumhuriyet daily report on Wednesday, 25,523 women make up 23 percent of all people fired during the state of emergency, known as OHAL.
The report, titled “Women’s Rights Violations in Turkey,” said women who were dismissed from the civil service under government decrees (KHKs) were not able to find another job and lost their economic independence.
The state of emergency and government decrees negatively impacted the lives of women, while misogynist and oppressive conservative discourse has risen during the OHAL period, the report said.
The report drew attention to the fact that most of the women who were dismissed from the civil service were known for their critical stance against the government. Since June 2017 out of 3,100 people who were dismissed from 11 trade unions affiliated with the Confederation of Public Employees Trade Unions (KESK), more than 600 are reported to be women.
One-third of students whose scholarships to study abroad were canceled and one-fifth of academics who were dismissed from universities are women.
The report also showed that 11 women’s organizations were closed by government decree and women who experience domestic violence have to wait for hours due to a lack of personnel at police stations.
According to the report, 35 femail mayors, 16 female journalists and five HDP deputies working for gender equality are in jail.
Turkey’s Justice Ministry announced on July 13 that 50,510 people have been arrested and 169,013 have been the subject of legal proceedings on coup charges since the failed coup.
Turkey has suspended or dismissed more than 150,000 judges, teachers, police and civil servants under the post-coup state of emergency rule.