Women, Peace, and Security: The Case of Turkey

For the past three decades, the Government of Turkey has endured three decades of internal conflict with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Then late in 2012 the political and social climate was ripe for a ceasefire and to enter into negotiations between the Government of Turkey and the PKK about finding a solution to the ?Kurdish Question?. Literature and research has covered different aspects of this peace process, however little attention has been paid to the role of women, not just as victims but active agents in this process. This paper seeks to address this overlooked and yet vital dimension of the peace process. Despite being a signatory of both the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 Turkey has so far failed to develop a holistic and comprehensive framework for gender mainstreaming in both its national and foreign policies and peace building initiatives. By failing to pay attention to their role we fail to understand the contribution women have made to this process and society at large. This paper intends to fill this gap in both literature and research by providing policy recommendations for a more inclusive participatory approach of women as active players in the peace process. This paper will provide an overview of the current situation in Turkey. It will also analyze the impact the process has had on women in Turkey, especially in the South Eastern region. It will identify barriers to their full participation in conflict transformation and peace building. Furthermore it will examine the roles they have placed in negotiations, reconciliation, peace building, recovery, and reconstitution. Also it will highlight examples of existing case examples of women engagement engaged in the existing peace processes and identify the best practices and lessons learned in order to pave the way for greater participation in the peace process of Turkey.