More than 80 women’s groups have voiced strong opposition to the new draft constitution in Turkey, which describes women as a ‘vulnerable group in need of protection.’ The draft document also drops the current constitution’s clause requiring the government to ensure equality for all.
The proposed constitution has been drafted behind closed doors. But, calling the document a major step backwards for equal rights, women”s groups are now demanding to be included in the process, reports the BBC.
Selen Lermioglu, a women;’s rights activist, told the BBC that: “If the Government accepts this, it will show their ideology and their mindset about women and men and that women are groups to be protected… We’re not. We don’t need anyone’s protection. We need equality and we ask for equality, not protection.”
