Fighting prejudices in Turkey

Together with LGBTI organisations, AI Turkey is committed to fight for the rights of the LGBTI community in the country. In this fight, human rights education is an important tool.
Publisert: 5. Mar 2015, kl. 15:28 | Sist oppdatert: 8. jun 2018, kl. 09:39
Özge T.G. and Hasan Metehan Özkan both fight for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons in Turkey. Having experienced discrimination based on sexual orientation themselves, they are aware that prejudices against LGBTI persons is a large problem in Turkey. Homophobic statements by government officials have encouraged discrimination against individuals, and the fear of exclusion means that many feel compelled to conceal their sexual orientation, even from their families. Turkish laws do not recognize crimes of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and it is therefore very difficult to press charges when faced with discrimination. Despite the undisputable need for increased awareness on gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, human rights education is not actively used by rights based organizations. There is also a lack of knowledge about human rights educations tools and methods. Özge and Hasan were therefore happy when they learned about AI Turkey’s planned training of trainers workshop for members of LGBTI organisations.


“The training of trainers workshop gave me new skills on interactive training and how to facilitate learning through discussions. This will be very useful in my future work on raising awareness on LGBTI issues”, Özge states. Trained as a psychologist, Özge says that it is particularly important to target health workers with information, as LGBTI issues are not thought as part of their studies.


Representing the organisation LISTAG, an organisation formed by relatives of LGBTI people, Hasan plans to pass on the learning from the AI Turkey training that he attended: “I attended the training so that I could replicate the training for the members of LISTAG, where I volunteer. My hope is that the members of LISTAG in their turn will use their new knowledge in their outreach work,” Hasan says.


Unfortunately, sexual orientation and gender identity is not defined as a priority in the agenda of the many rights-based human rights and women’s organizations in Turkey. In order to increase awareness and encourage more active solidarity, AI Turkey therefore now organises a series of workshops targeting non-governmental organisations, unions and health personnel. Both Özge and Hasan were pleased with the opportunity that the project has given to make contact with new people and organisation. “It is really good to see that some of the associations and unions that have participated in AI Turkey’s workshops in the last few months have now made a larger commitment to supporting LGBTI rights. I look forward to cooperate with these in the future,” Hasan states.


The “Using HRE as a Tool to Prevent Discrimination Based on Gender, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Turkey” project is part of the Education-Empowerment-Justice (EEJ) Programme which is carried out with financial support from the Amnesty International Norway TV-action fundraising event that took place in 2012. The EEJ programme is administered by the International Human Rights Education Center in Amnesty International Norway.