Hangül ÖZBEY

DİYARBAKIR-Women, who every day feel themselves more and more disappear in existing cities, discussing the alternatives.One of the women with whom we talked about numerous problems  from women's need to live in reliable cities, to obstacles in front of socialization, Devrim Türkan Kejanlı, Lecturer in Department of Architecture Faculty of Dicle University, says; women are unable to find areas to reflect their own cultures with the increasing of construction.

Women's associations and initiatives are like minded on  each passing day cities become a little more nightmare with growing every day, enchanting with their lights, but secretly giving fear, with streets which are belong to men at nights, with the giddy crowd during the day. And also the statistical data on problems experienced by women in urban areas, supports this view. According to survey results from 23 provinces in 2011 made by KAMER(a women association) migration to urban brings together many problems. According to the results it is understood that;, due to safety reasons 30.8 percent, due to a blood feud1.4 percent , and due to employment 21.7 percent , due to marriage 37.6 percent of 22 thousand 869 women, come to cities. .From the women who answered on the problems of the neighborhood, responds  in the form of; 40.0 percent  the unemployment and poverty, of 22.0 percent cleaning, of 9,6 percent   infrastructure, of 9.4 percent , water,  5.0 percent in transportation, of 4.3percent the security issue . Business is the most important needs of women in the neighborhood.48.5 percent of women want job, 15.5 percent of women want playground , 11.5 percent of women want social and health services, 8.2 percent of women want support in order to combat violence, 7.7 percent of women want literacy courses.

‘Cities are destroying to trust’

At the begining of the problems that cities give to women,expecially to women who migrated  ,is being trapped between four walls.60 year –old Gülistan Budak is a houswife. She puts into words her trouble like that; ’’ our lives ,are caught between buildings. I am very  tired of  the buildings. I feel as if I was trapped between two walls.’’ As before, she wants to have a house with a garden and a courtyard,and has a tandoor,and wants cook her own bread and wants to live with her neighbors fearlessly. When she left from Silvan, she felt like entering hell. Longing for the old days,s he says;‘’At Silvan we could leave our house's door open. We slept in courtyard. But now, we can trust on neither our neighbors nor our environment.’’she can not trust on anybody, she can not go anywhere alone,she knows nobody. And she expressed how the city defamiliarize people as; "My neighbors are constantly changing. Someone goes, another comes, " She complains that ;her children can not go out at nights and she wonders them when they go out, then she continoued like that;’’ As world grows, the danger is growing. By midday, my house is broken into. I want a city that is dominated by peace where there is not any theft. Villainy and theft is too much. I do not want to leave my house.Iwant green areas. When I go out, I remember Silvan and my house there. I miss those days’’

‘We can not feel ourselves comfortable’

Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYU), Food Engineering Department 3th Grade student Heybet Güneş (21),

is drawing attention to current cities are not suitable for young women.Voicing women can not live in cities they can express themselves , Güneş,says;’’ always we are under pressure, there are expectations. due to the  pressures and expectations of  family and community we can not feel ourselves comfortable.’’ Stating that she lives in Eruh district of Siirt Güneş, by emphasizing the structure of the city ,she lives in, does not give her what she wants ,continoued like that: ‘’ Because society constantly searching for missing at women. so women retreat into their shell in order to protect herself from it. in big cities, women are seen as objects so they do not want to be in the limelight.’’

'Women in urban areas, are getting away from their own culture'

Güneş states that  ‘The biggest obstacle for the woman is their own weakness’.  She stated that, to rebel against all the negativity has a positive role in resolving the issues. Güneş pointed  that; religion impose to people some rules. and she underlines that; these rules put pressure on women. Güneş emphasized that as well as the city's image, people's life .has also changed. She made the following remarks:

‘’ Women in urban areas, are getting away from their own culture.  A city must be created where women are not seen as an object. Woman must live in a city where she can feel herself comfortable. She can be able to express herself easily. İn the urbans we live woman can not do sport easily. Changes in the structure of the city is affecting the health of women. I think, there must be cities where all demands of women can meet. Firstly, women should not be seen as an object in order to be  included in a city. Only in this way she can add something to city. When a person from different race come to a city s/he  must feel him/herself as member of the city. Instead of  getting away people from their own culture a city must to unite them. also there must be social areas for example,social activity can be provided  for women. Women can be able to feel herself  comfortably in streets.’’.

‘’Cities make women unhappy’’

Sociologist Azize Kaya expressed that she believed Systems of the city should be questioned, and she sais that cities defamiliarize women to themand so make women unhappy.  Kaya pointed that; when today’s urban’s systems are examined, women are not happy in cities, which are shaped according to systems of capitalist society.And she said followings:

‘’ Women living under the yoke of men in the system, maintains her life of borders drawn by man. And this alienates women to herself and makes her unhappy. This is valid for all living beings. Self-alienation, is the largest source of despair. In city, their life areas are too narrow, can not go  out from the given roles. women are deprived of education rights and production. Because priority is given to men. Rape, assault, murder of women , clearly shows this situation.Women can feel more comfortable in an environment where she can self-perform . she can live more comfortably in a place where war and exploitation is not lived. Women  city is a city where , women’s rights are seen as human rights, democratic politics is created, literature, art, spread to all areas of life, the gender gap is eliminated, consisting social structure with gender-based budget, reflecting female identity. creating this society is possible with raise awareness to whole community with education , law and economics.’’

'Women's Councils must be established'

Mayor of Bağlar Yüksel Baran stated that they organized a conferance about ‘’ do women want to live in how city’’ and she said they reached very important conclusions as a result of the conference.Baran says, they debate about the topic ‘ how a city life should be in order to women feel themselves more comfortable’ and she draws attention that , the city itself is a living thing.she stated that; women also have to be included in decision maker’’. Baran said;’’ If women wanted to have a say in this life,they must provide participation in city life's designing. From construction to sidewalks. how do women benefit beter? At nights women can not go to the parks.. How will women be involved in the organizations which are especially about the problems that arise in urban life?  Women's councils need to be created in order to women to participate in city life more actively. And in these councils every problem  must be disscussed.’’

The city deprives women from their rights

Baran reminded that women have common problems, she explained their workings in this way:’’ we have women counseling centers. we have a women's refuge. here, we do not designed it totally as a refuge. we think to do studies like; women will be stronger against life, will be equipped, will be able to  increased  and develop her  capabilities. And in counsling House’s , together with providing  various consulting services, particularly about the issue of violence ,we do studies to raise-awareness about women participation in public area. Some times we include women to the cultural activities. our  workings are based on gender equality.  Without ensuring this, women can not take part in the community with her real role.Iin Diyarbakır or in the other provinces of the region, women have to benefit from the public areas with their mother tongue.  We give Kurdish courses to our friends , who works  in our counseling centers. We have studies about remove  the alienation  and the language barrier between them . So far, the majority studies ,that we have done in our counseling  centers, are about  training and culture. W.e have some projects in order to solve it a little bit. Especially in employment ,we are  trying  to be careful about the quotas. Women cleaning workers began to work in our municipality. We think to hire women drivers this year. We really want  women participation in city life. To be done actual is ,making women the real owner of the city. Women must take part in decision-making mechanisms , must strengthen. There are ,male- female equality unit  and equality commissions in our Municipalities.  We will continue our works on this subject.’’

’As constructions  increase,  cultures  are decreasing’

Devrim Türkan Kejanlı,Dicle University Architecture Faculty Instructor at Architecture Department, voiced that  cities' are holding by squatters ,currently  and says,squatter process that began in the 1980s increased much more in 90s. That there is a migration from villages to cities ,voicing Kejanlı,’’ Of course these people, who migrated to the cities,found places of life, which already exist in cities,for themselves. Over time, we come across with these areas as developed much more and reflect their own cultures.’’ She referred; Immigrants from the village have brought out such places; tandoor  areas, resting areas, chat areas where the neighboors gathered in front of the doors.and she said followings:’’With the increasing of construction  women can not find areas to reflect their own cultures. Women's problems are increasing because of the sites that identified as ''safe'. Of course, women have to live in a limited living space within their sites. Going out, reaching to the city center is transformed into a big problem. I think largely these areas  have created the problems of the accessibility of women and the security issue.’’

‘Women want to live with their own culture’

Drawing attention to the buildings in the existing  cities are not possible for women to live in better conditions , Kejanlı, assesses the results of an inte.rnational  study that made by Dicle University together with Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality.She says’’ As a result of the survey, the men turned out to be satisfied with their lives to a certain extent. According to the study were made on women, we see that  they are not satisfied with their lives. Women want to live in cities with their own culture.’’

 ‘So, what women want?’

Kejanlı, to our question  ' how a city life do women want  '  is giving  answer in this way:

‘’ she had  made her own tandoor area by herself in the village, at home , she had  sat  with her neighbors, relatives and chatted  with them, in no way ;she had seen that no harm will come from them. As she feel herself more comfortable she wants a living area with them. In fact, at this point, when you take these people to large buildings they will live an unsocial problem.  As she could not find people from her own culture in her neighborly relationships ,I really think it would be a problem. Actually at this point,in Turkey there is a general problem. Families with many children have to live in apartment or slums. But you can see that a two-person family can live in a very large house ,140-200 square meters. In fact, perhaps we have a problem in these policies. What is the problem? Surely , a residental area ,has green areas and  appropriate to their culture, must be planned. While  planning a city , planning in this way, would be much more accurate. As a woman, when I look at the architecture of my city, I see a lot of visual pollution. Incompatible, buildings attached to each other. We see Floor heights. Security, in fact,  is the most encountered  problem. Our cities, need to be safe even at night. So our starting point must be a way to re-establish this system. when we go out from our house or our sites we should not live any fear. We need a city system where pedestrian areas are central and shopping areas, parking areas etc.. gathered araound these pedestrian areas. At this point ,I think concrete must be taken under control. When it said women city the first thing that comes to mind is safety. when women is free in a place somewhere else she is losing her freedom. The responsibility that she feel towards her family and her husband is take her under pressure. After a certain time, she may not go out at any time, can not go anywhere without permission. women city is a city where safety of women is provided.

Photograph- Camera:  Hangül Özbey  

Translator: Rojda GULCİCEK

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