Access to Justice for Women in the Kurdish Regions

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Since our last report, KHRP has been busy working with women and advocates throughout the Kurdish Regions to promote human rights and accessing justice. This work comes at a crucial time as the situation between Governments and Kurdish groups is under pressure in both Turkey and Syria.

Over the last few months Turkey has experienced familiar kidnappings, PKK and Turkish force retaliations, terrorist bombings, mass detentions of Turkish Kurds, and hostility between Turkish and Kurdish civilians in major cities. Similarly, the up-rising against the Government in Syria continues to escalate and has resulted in the death of around 3,000 people, the injury of over 20,000 people and the detention, abuse, torture and ill treatment of thousands more.

During these times of conflict and tension it is easy to lose focus of other existing human rights omissions, such as those that women in the Kurdish Regions face every day. Furthermore, as the condition worsens in these countries, the rights of women are threatened even more as they and their families are exposed to the results of conflict, such as persecution for their beliefs, ill treatment and torture and extrajudicial detention and imprisonment without access to lawyers and family. The sustained work of KHRP is important during this time to empower and protect the women of Turkey and Syria, as well as the rest of the Kurdish Regions.

Next month in Iraq, KHRP, in partnership with local partner CDO, will be facilitating a ‘Violence Against Women And State Obligations – Focus On Women In Conflict’ training for lawyers and advocates. The aim of this training is to build knowledge and a practical understanding of how to apply the basic standards and obligations set out in key international human rights instruments to prevent and address violence against women in conflict situations.

Back home, KHRP has continued to work with and provide advice to other organisations who seek a more in-depth knowledge of the conditions that women in the Kurdish Regions face. Finally, KHRP was awarded the prestigious Gruber Prize for Justice on 6 October 2011 at a ceremony in Philadelphia. KHRP was recognised for its use of a variety of legal instruments in protecting human rights and seeking redress for violations, including bringing cases on behalf of hundreds of applicants at the European Court of Human Rights and its on the ground field missions.

Through your support, you can help us continue to make a difference in the lives of women throughout the Kurdish Regions.

Thank you...

Links:

• KHRP Collects Prestigious Gruber Prize for Justice