Gender equality

There is no place for harassment and violence in my workplace!

The 3rd phase of the project, “There is no Place for Harassment and Violence in my Workplace!” which aims to create a safer and equal environment, run by Yanındayız Association with the support of Friedrich Naumann Foundation, has been completed!

In the first two phases of the project, which has been ongoing since 2021 with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, awareness raising trainings on gender-based harassment, violence and discrimination were provided to approximately 3000 people working in textile companies in seven different regions of Türkiye. While the first phase focused on production workers in the textile sector aimed to raise awareness on violence and harassment, the second phase provided awareness training on gender and workplace violence to more than a thousand workers in 10 textile manufacturers all over Türkiye. The effectiveness of these trainings was tested through awareness perception surveys revealed a positive change in participants' perceptions of gender equality, with a particularly notable transformation in male employees' perceptions of collaborating with women.

In the third phase of the project, which aims to spread gender-sensitive good practices in textile companies across Türkiye and create more equal workspaces, a two-day educational training program was organized for 30 representatives from Batman, Denizli, Giresun, Ordu, Sakarya, Istanbul, Izmir, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ and Tokat. They were selected by the companies included in the first two phases and participated in the trainings held on August 22-23. The project, which was set out to ensure the sustainability of the first two phases, aims to leave a lasting impact on gender equality when the participants return to their workplaces with the educational trainings provided.

Yanındayız Association Projects Director Irmak Çil Arslan expressed the importance of the project as follows: “As Yanındayız Association, we are very happy to be carrying out the trainer training phase of the third phase of this project that we initiated to provide environments free of harassment and violence in workplaces. In this process, which continues with the valuable support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, we have taken important steps towards increasing gender equality awareness among production workers in the textile sector. Now, we want to take our project one step further. One of the most critical tools to achieve this goal is trainer of training. This training not only enables participants to gain knowledge, but also enables them to reach wider audiences by transferring what they have learned to their own work environments and ensures the formation of a permanent culture of equality in the workplace. The participants here today will contribute to the construction of safer and more inclusive work environments, and it is an indescribable pleasure to have contributed to this. "

Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Project Coordinator Matthias Baus emphasized the importance of the project: "We are pleased to be part of this project, which we have been carrying out together with Yanındayız Association for three years. During this time, we have reached textile factories all around Türkiye and provided trainings on harassment, violence and discrimination at the workplace to textile sector employees. Women are still heavily affected by the consequences of gender equality and are subject to harassment, violence and discrimination. Our project aim is helping to create an equal working environment for everyone. Today, our aim with you, the future trainers, is to provide this strong environment in your own workplaces and ensure its sustainability.”