Bianet
5 July 2009

Gender-Based violenceSur Municipality Combats Domestic Violence
through Labour Contracts

The Diyarbakýr Sur Municipality has implemented a new programme to
prevent domestic violence.

Diyarbakýr – BÝA News Center03 July 2009, Friday Abdullah Demirtaþ,
mayor of the Sur municipality in the southeastern city of Diyarbakýr,
has collaborated with Vezir Periþan, president of the Diyarbakýr
branch of the trade union for municipal workers (Belediye-Ýþ) in order
to implement a collective labour agreement that includes sanctions
against domestic violence.
According to this new labour agreement, which was amended on 1 July,
municipal staff who treat their spouses or children violently will
have half of their wages deducted, and it will be paid to the
spouses. In addition, any payments due to an employee on resignation
will also be paid to the spouse. Should a person have contracted more
than one marriage (i.e. one official and other religious marriages),
the payments will be made to the officially married spouse.
"Social change requires changes for women"
Demirtaþ told bianet that the collective labour agreement concerns 269
people. He said, "Social change requires changes in domestic
relations. Sometimes the patriarchal mindset does not accept change
and development for women. We observe that violence against women
increases at times. As officials, we need to positively support change
and development for women."
Demirtaþ pointed out that his party, the Democratic Society Party
(DTP), generally applied a gender quota: "The liberation of society
depends on the liberation of women. We have thus applied such
sanctions against gender-based violence."
Language courses for employees
The labour agreement also announces that in order to offer
multi-lingual municipal services, the employees will be offered
English, Kurdish (Kýrmanci and Zaza), Syriac and Armenian language
courses.
Multi-lingual municipal services cost Demirtaþ his position in the
past, as he was taken to court. However, so the mayor, "The Diyarbakýr
Governor’s Office, attached to the Ministry of the Interior, took us
from our position, but now it has started to offer services in
Kurdish. They have created a call-centre where citizens can complain
in Kurdish, and they have started to employ personnel with knowledge
of Kurdish. It is a historical event that those who banned us and
disposed us now agree with us." (EÖ/AG)