This National Action Plan on Gender Equality is a national policy with a multi-sectoral approach. The timeframe of the policy is 5 years between 2008 and 2013. The overall aim of this Plan is to ensure gender equality for women and girls at all levels. Due to the important role of women in agriculture, their awareness will be raised on sustainable use and management of natural resources for continuous food production. This Plan lays down strategies for the promotion of gender equality in the fields of education, economy, poverty, decision-making, health, media, environment, violence and human rights. Gender equality perspective will be integrated into the aforementioned sectors. The schooling rates of girls, including registry, attendance and completion, will be increased at all levels of education in line with the Ninth Development Plan with a gender-sensitive approach through legislation enforcement; capacity building of responsible institutions; strengthened cooperation between District Governorates, Local Authorities and NGOs; economic and social support; development of incentive policies; planning and implementing activities to overcome gender-based obstacles for girls; monitoring of families; social consciousness-raising; and the improvement of the efficiency of the e-school database and Central Population Management System. The physical and technical capacity will be increased in all stages of education to ensure the schooling of girls. Women’s literacy rate will be increased by identifying illiterate women and creating a database and by expanding the opportunities for primary education. Information will be provided to women, including home-based working and female agricultural workers, about the opportunities to benefit from the social security system. Moreover, measures will be taken against unregistered employment of women to ensure their social protection, with a special emphasis on poor women. In order to ensure full employment, sustainable economic growth and social development, women’s participation will be enhanced in the labour market through education, vocational training, entrepreneurship, adult education and labour force programmes in line with the demand of the labour force market. Gender discrimination in the labour market will be combatted and the gender gap in wages will be decreased. In addition to that, the child-, sick-, disabled- and elderly care services will be expanded and their accessibility will be enhanced to cope with the obstacles for women's participation in economic and social life. Training, financing, and consultancy services will be provided to women entrepreneurs to encourage and support them. Women’s economic position in rural areas will be improved by encouraging women’s entrepreneurships in agriculture-based business lines; supporting the establishment of women’s cooperatives; and enhancing women’s memberships and active participation in existing cooperatives. Income generating projects will be implemented to improve labour conditions for rural women. To this end, agricultural extension services will be provided for women in a more widespread and effective manner. Functional and integrated data processing infrastructure will be established in the social services and social assistance system to combat poverty. The level of information and awareness will be increased in order to increase the representation and participation of women in power and decision-making processes. Health status of women will be improved through facilitated access to quality health services. Research and scientific studies on women and environment will be increased and the data will be disseminated with a gender specific approach. Women's involvement in environmental management will be strengthened by increasing the number of women’s councils. Awareness raising activities will be carried out for women on sustainable and ecologically correct means of consumption and production and on the exploitation and management of natural resources. Women's living standards will be increased through the protection and strengthening of women against rural and urban adverse environmental conditions. Traditional knowledge of women in agricultural production and storage will be harmonized with sustainable agricultural methods in order to ensure food safety and environmental protection and sustainability. The General Directorate on the Status of Women shall be responsible for the coordination and monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of this Plan. The Ministries and other governmental institutions responsible for implementation shall adopt the objectives and strategies specified in the National Action Plan and provide sufficient financial and other resources to ensure the implementation by other government institutions at regional, province and district levels. A Monitoring and Assessment Working Group shall be established by the General Directorate on the Status of Women to ensure effective implementation of each objective.
Türkiye · 2008-09-01