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Association for Gender Equality Policies

Association for Gender Equality Policies

Association for Gender Equality Policies was founded in 2022 with the aim of developing institutional policies in an effort to achieve gender equality in the world of work. AGEP offers consultancy for NGOs, professional organizations, platforms, and public and private sector institutions in their endeavors to develop gender equality policies and to create mechanisms for preventing gender-based discrimination and violence.

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What is gender equality in work life?

Gender equality at work means that everyone should have equal access to employment, work opportunities, resources, and decision-making processes regardless of their gender. It further entails equal advancement in the profession, equality in productivity, equal pay for equal work, equal treatment, equal rights, equal rewards as well as job security and continuity. Discriminatory behaviors, sexual harassment and violence are indicators of a work life without gender equality.

The practices and activities of institutions that combat gender-based discrimination and violence in Turkey have for the most part focused on domestic violence. 

What is an institutional policy that aims at achieving gender equality?

The presence of a comprehensively and holistically structured, implemented, regularly evaluated and updated policy that is inclusive of the institution’s manager(s), employee(s), volunteer(s), service provider(s) and any other person that comes into contact with the institution indicates the existence of an institutional policy. In developing institutional policy regarding gender equality, it is of utmost importance to adopt an approach that is based not on punishment but on prevention. 

Today, many institutions in Turkey, especially the universities and civil society organizations, have gender equality policies. 

What sort of support does AGEP provide?

Association for Gender Equality Policies provides consultancy to institutions which aim at adopting and developing institutional gender equality policies. Within the scope of the consultancy, the institutions are supported while writing the policy documents, creating mechanisms, or monitoring/evaluating the existing mechanisms. In designing its training sessions and meetings AGEP takes into consideration the internal organizational structure, functioning and field of operation of each institution. 

Training provided to support development of an institutional gender equality policy are as follows:

  • Training on basic concepts
  • Training on institutional policy and its stages
  • Training on application/complaint processes
  • Monitoring and evaluation

What is the Convention concerning the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work (ILO Convention No. 190)?

In 2019, International Labor Organization (ILO) ratified the “Violence and Harassment Convention” in the world of work and this convention, the first and the only international one in this field, entered into force in 2021. The convention

  • offers a comprehensive description based on the concept of “world of work” and covers all stages of employment including the voluntary jobs and the internships;
  • does not limit the world of work to the working hours at the workplace and includes transportation, work-related trips, travels, meetings and all other work-related social activities; and it stipulates the prevention of violence and harassment including the effects of digital and domestic violence on the work life;
  • states that violence and harassment preclude equal opportunity and that a gender-sensitive approach is fundamental for ending violence and harassment in the work life.

Definitions

Gender gap

Gender gap refers to the fact that women receive lower wages than men.

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment refers to all behaviors of sexual nature –carried out verbally, through body language or other communication tools– that are not based on one’s consent and violate one’s sexual freedom. Catcalling, unsolicited sexual or lewd conversations, and sending sexually suggestive communications in any format constitute instances of sexual harassment.

Digital violence

Digital violence refers to unsolicited, disturbing, discriminatory and/or violent behaviors that are carried out via internet tools and/or social media. Sharing one’s photos without their permission or threatening to do so, sending sexually explicit photos or messages, checking a one’s social media accounts without their permission, wielding power over someone else using social media are examples of digital violence.

Retaliation

Retaliation is harassment in multiple forms to get revenge or to prevent the one who is exposed to harassment from behaving in a certain way again. Retaliation involves, explicitly or implicitly, making one’s work and education life difficult with the intention of seeking revenge either because the person refuses sexual or emotional advances or wants to issue a complaint about being harassed. Dismissal from work or the threat of dismissal, assignment to unwanted tasks, salary cut are examples of retaliation aimed at rendering one silent.

Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment

Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment occurs when an employee’s supervisor, manager or employer uses their authority to suggest that an employee will be able to keep their job or given benefits in exchange for some sort of sexual favor and/or when an employee’s supervisor, manager or employer threatens to fire or otherwise reprimand an employee for refusing to comply with the demand of engaging in some type of sexual behavior.

Association for Gender Equality Policies

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