The Business Agains Domestic Violence Project, launched by Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum, will be carried out in Bursa with the support of the Bursa Platform for Women's Empowerment in the Business World. The meeting of the project was held on 9 March 2017 Thursday at BUSIAD House.
Opening speech held by BUSİAD Chairman Günal Baylan and he thanked all the guests who attended the meeting and emphasized that they are against domestic violence as business representatives. Baylan reminded that in recent days Women Empowerment Platform of Bursa launched with the cooperation of BUSİAD and Yeşim Textile. He continued with his words "There are 22 business representatives in this platform; This is an important success for Bursa. It can also be a significant step forward in Turkey. We are very pleased with this kind of activities in Bursa as BUSİAD. In recent years, women's participation in the business world has taken an important path, but we have a lot more ways to get. In this sense, I would like to thank Sabancı University for organizing such an event in Bursa." After the opening speech of Baylan, Meltem Ağduk, Coordinator of Gender Studies at United Nations Population Fund and Director of Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum. Dr. Melsa Ararat gave detailed information about the project. Meltem Ağduk stated that the discrimination that emerged as a result of the dominance of the male-dominated system was manifested in the business world. Ağduk pointed out that prejudices against women prevent them from entering business life and their participation, progress, and promotion when they enter. Discrimination and violence deeply affect the working life of women. It is therefore necessary to underline that the private sector plays a vital role in combating discrimination and violence against women. The United Nations Population Fund acts with the awareness that development cannot be achieved without women.
Professor Dr. Melsa Ararat expressed that there is a consensus in both the world and in our country that women's labor force participation is one of the basic elements of development. One of the obstacles to the active participation of women in the work is domestic violence, she noted. Professor Dr. Ararat, said: "İstanbul Convention which Turkey is part of it also, point out that provate sector is responsible of supporting their employees which are exposed by domestic violence at home. We are very excited about the fact that the Policy Development Guidebook we have prepared with TÜSİAD member companies will be used by Bursa companies after 17 companies based in Istanbul. It is promising that our pilot companies in sustainable employment take gender equality as a business performance and economic - social development issue.
After the meeting, the panel titled 'Business Prcatices Against Domestic Violence' was held with moderation of Melsa Ararat, Director of Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum. The panel include Yeşim Textile Corporate Communications Specialist Meral Yıldırım, Aygaz Corporate Communications Manager Rişe Özkan and Aras Kargo Deputy General Manager Gökhan Ata Okutan.
