Women's access to justice begins long before a case reaches a courtroom. It starts with institutions communicating effectively, understanding one another's roles and working together to ensure that women can receive the support they need, without having to navigate complex systems alone.
With this understanding, representatives from the bar associations, civil society organisations from the six project pilot provinces of Afyonkarahisar, Bilecik, Bitlis, Burdur, Tokat, Yalova, and representatives of the Union of Turkish Municipalities gathered to explore how local cooperation can better respond to the needs of women in vulnerable situations.
Further to the opening speeches delivered by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations and the Council of Europe Programme Office in Ankara, over two days, the participants shared frontline experiences and insights, identifying the barriers to effective local cooperation, and practical solutions to be able to remove these barriers through strengthened co-ordination and gender-responsive support for women in vulnerable situations.
The participants also provided valuable feedback on a draft training material designed to enhance the capacity of bar associations, civil society organisations, and municipalities to better assist women seeking justice.
The strong networks and partnerships built during the meetings marked an important step on the way to ensure that woman can better access to protection, support and justice.
This event was organised under the “Fostering Civil Society's Support for Women's Access to Justice in Türkiye” Programme, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.
