By Irmak Dedecan. Presented at Sexpo Foundation's 45th Anniversary Seminar on Sexual Rights @ University of Helsinki, November 2014.

1. SEXUAL RIGHTS in TURKEY
IRMAK DEDECAN
Clinical Health
Psychologist, MSc.

2. CONTENT
• Introduction: History
• Constitutional Rights in Turkey
• Sexual Rights and Current Conditions
• Reflections from the Media

3. Introduction: History
• One of the few
secular Islamic
countries in the
world.
• 99% of the
population
• Definition of “being
Muslim”

4. Introduction: History
• Most of the other Islamic
countries -- >Sharia: Allah’s
Law
• Turkish Constitution forbids
the religious laws from
dominating goverment and
society
• The state and religion are
separated!

5. Reforms
• Turkish Republic was founded in
1923 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
• Precautions were taken to prevent
islam from being as influential as it was during
Ottoman times.
• Granting equal rights to women – right to vote
and get elected (1930s)
• Reforming education (i.e. Elimination of
compulsory religion courses)

6. Constitutional Rights

7. The right to equality and non-discrimination
(*)
• Everyone is entitled to enjoy all sexual rights set
forth in this Declaration without distinction of
any kind such as race, ethnicity, color, sex,
language, religion, political or other opinion,
national or social origin, place of residence,
property, birth, disability, age, nationality,
marital and family status, sexual orientation,
gender identity and expression, health status,
economic and social situation and other status.
(*) WAS Declaration of Sexual Rights (2014)

8. The right to equality and non-discrimination
• Item 192: “Neither one of the spouses shall
require the other’s permission about the choice
of their proffession or job”
• 22 May 2004 “equality before law” – Man and
woman are equal before law. The state is held
responsible to realize this.
• Government hirings
• Violence Intervence Committe For Women
• Head Office of Status of Women

9. The right to life, liberty, and security
of the person (*)
• Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and
security that cannot be arbitrarily threatened,
limited, or taken away for reasons related to
sexuality. These include: sexual orientation,
consensual sexual behavior and practices,
gender identity and expression, or because of
accessing or providing services related to sexual
and reproductive health.
(*) WAS Declaration of Sexual Rights (2014)

10. The right to life, liberty, and security
of the person
• Reducing the sentence of the offender if the rape
victim is a sex worker (item 438) was abolished
in 1990
• Maternity Health Centers – Women Shelters
1990

11. The right to autonomy and bodily
integrity (*)
• Everyone has the right to control and decide
freely on matters related to their sexuality and
their body. This includes the choice of sexual
behaviors, practices, partners and relationships
with due regard to the rights of others. Free and
informed decision making requires free and
informed consent prior to any sexually-related
testing, interventions, therapies, surgeries, or
research.
(*) WAS Declaration of Sexual Rights (2014)

12. The right to autonomy and bodily
integrity
• The right to abortion and over-the-counter pills
• Circumcision...

13. The right to be free from all forms
of violence and coercion (*)
• Everyone shall be free from sexuality related
violence and coercion, including: rape, sexual
abuse, sexual harassment, bullying, sexual
exploitation and slavery, trafficking for purposes
of sexual exploitation, virginity testing, and
violence committed because of real or perceived
sexual practices, sexual orientation, gender
identity and expression, and bodily diversity.
(*) WAS Declaration of Sexual Rights (2014)

14. The right to be free from all forms of
violence and coercion
• Parliamentary Commission to investigate honor
murders and violance against women & children
• Murder in the name of honor = aggravation
• Rape Cases: If the offender agrees to get married
with the victim No Sentence!

15. Reflections from the Media

16. Gay Marriages
• Turkish Laws do not recognize gay marriages.
Turkish Civil Code item 134 uses the phrase “the
man and woman to get married...”
• Some opposition parties offered to change
marriage policies to include gay marriages,
however the party in power (AKP) opposed to
this.

17. Gay Marriages
• The press was invited as Ekin (21) and Emrullah
(28) have their wedding celebration. (2013)

18. Bergen
• 1982 – acid attack
• 1989 – murder
• Killer – caught in 1992. Convicted
15 months.

19. Homofobia
• “A disgraceful offence controversy to being an
officer” (June 2014)

20. Homofobia
• The police officer has resorted to the
jurisdiction, however interior ministry declared
that –the law is built to sort out the ones such as
this one.

21. Antidiscrimination Movements

22. Antigay Books
• Turkish psychologists defend the normality of
different sexual orientations.
• Lambdaistanbul LGBTI Mental Health
committee has reached to bookstores and asked
them to remove the antigay books that assume
it as a disease from the selves. The public
support to report of such books
http://www.lambdaistanbul.org/s/etkinlik/homof
obik-ve-transfobik-ruh-sagligi-kitaplarinin-satisini-
engellemek-icin-sen-de-destek-ol/

23. Gay Pride Week

24. Gay Pride Walk
• The first walk took place in İstanbul in 2003
with only 30 people.
• In 2012, there were 10.000 people. It was the
biggest movement of South East Europe.
• In 2013, with the effects of GEZİ Events, the
walk took place with the number of 100.000
people.

25. Internet Censorship
• Main Turkish Internet Server
• “human penis”
• “vagina”
(2014)

26. CONGRATS!?
• Family doctor texts the
father of the single daughter
“congratulations, your daughter is pregnant”
(2012)
Father or Husband -
The social security owner is informed if the test is
positive.

27. PAMIR
• Father was released
• Mother is looking at a sentence 1 to 3 years for
wrongful death – neglect
(Nov. 2014)

28. Consent
• 16 year-old girl
• 22 year-old offender
• 6 months of sentence because they drank beer
together
(2013-2014)

29. THANK YOU !
For More Information:
• http://www.bianet.org/english
• http://ucansupurge.org/english/index.php
• http://www.lambdaistanbul.org/s/lambdaistanbul-lgbti-solidarity-
association/
• http://www.worldsexology.org/resources/declaration-of-sexual-
rights/
• irmak.dedecan@gmail.com