BADV Project launches in İzmir
The Business Against Domestic Violence Project run by Sabanci University Corporate Governance Forum will be carried out in İzmir in cooperation with İzmir Commodity Exchange.
The launching meeting of the project was held in the premises of İzmir Commodity Exchange (ICE) between 11.00 and 13.00 on Tuesday, 30 May 2017.
The opening speeches of the meeting were delivered by the ICE chairperson Mrs. Işınsu Kestelli, Mrs. Aysel Öztezel, who is the president of the Executive Committee of TOBB İzmir Women Entrepreneurs Board, and Mrs. Melsa Ararat, director of the Sabanci University Corporate Governance Forum.
The ICE chairperson Mrs. Kestelli noted that violence against women was a fundamental human rights problem and that it was widespread in all walks of society regardless of differences in social status. She added, "According to the researches carried out on this topic, three out of every 10 females in the world and four out of every 10 females in our country are exposed to some sorts of violence at some point in their lives. Domestic violence is a violation of human rights in itself and it is a problem that is doomed to hit the welfare of all humanity." Mrs. Kestelli underlined that inclusive growth and equal access of all segments of society to increased welfare and opportunities were musts for ensuring prosperity and development of the society. Having stated that the UNDP predicted that world's total national income would increase by 28 trillion dollars in 2025 provided that the absolute equality of men and women only in participation to the economy was ensured, Mrs. Kestelli said, "We are talking about a 25% increase in the prosperity of mankind. With such an opportunity at hand, we should turn the fight on violence against women that is a crime against humanity into corporate fight."
Mrs. Melsa Ararat, director of the Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum, said "The systematic pressure and violence that women are exposed have become more visible as women participate in the business life. It has ceased to be a matter of private life and turned into a social problem. Just as in all social problems, companies have the potential to play an important role in solving this problem with their pragmatic approaches, organizational competencies and capacities."
Emphasizing that domestic violence was always a problem at the top of the agenda, Mrs. Zerrin Koyunsağan, General Director of Sabancı Foundation, said "This problem should not be seen as the problem of a certain segment. We must be aware that violence is an obstacle for women from all levels of income to be able to exist on equal terms in social and business life. Preventing violence is possible with the society accepting and recognizing the existence of such a problem. It is very important to develop cooperation and policies against domestic violence in the private sector as well as public and civil society. That's exactly why we, as the Sabancı Foundation, support the "Business Against Domestic Violence" Project."
After the speeches, Mrs. Meltem Ağduk, who is the Gender Studies Coordinator of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), moderated the panel titled Practices of the Project on Business Against Domestic Violence. In the panel, Havaş Management Systems Manager Mrs. Başak Helen Taşkan, Human Resources Manager of Sun Textile Mrs. Deniz Köksal and Mrs. Füsun Toros, Manager of İnci Academy, shared their experiences in applying the project in their own institutions.
01.06.2017
