The “Inspiring Steps Meeting”, organized under the leadership of Dr. Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu, which aims to raise awareness on gender equality in society, has emerged as an important event on March 8, International Working Women's Day. This third meeting was held with the participation of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, CHP Deputy Chairpersons Zeliha Aksaz Şahbaz and Volkan Demir attended, and gathered at the Cemal Reşit Rey Hall in Harbiye. The event aims to promote gender equality and raise awareness about women's rights.
Dr. Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu's Speech: Women's Struggle Continues
One of the most striking speeches of the event came from Dr. Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu. Dr. İmamoğlu emphasized that women's rights and gender equality are important issues not only for Türkiye but for the entire world. Emphasizing that March 8 International Working Women's Day is a symbol of women's struggle for equal rights and freedoms, she said the following:
“Unfortunately, women’s rights continue to be a major struggle all over the world. Women face inequality every day, at home, at work, on the streets. We women understand best the traumas experienced by girls and women who are deprived of education, married at an early age, harassed, and subjected to violence.”
Dr. İmamoğlu also stated that the struggle for women's rights should not be a tool for cleansing one's conscience. Instead of just talking about women's rights for a week, he stated that this struggle should be continued continuously and consistently in every area of life. Emphasizing that the struggle for women's rights should not remain only in words, İmamoğlu emphasized that the entire society should participate in this struggle.
A Strong Policy for Women's Rights and Gender Equality
Dr. Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu also expressed the need for a strong women's policy in order to ensure gender equality. Emphasizing that the issue of women's rights is not only a political issue but also a matter of human dignity, İmamoğlu said that all stakeholders should act with a common understanding. To this end, she touched on the importance of the "Grow Your Dreams" project and the book "Inspiring Steps", which tells the stories of successful women. She stated that they provided scholarship opportunities to 3 thousand young university women with the income obtained from the books and contributed to women's struggle for social equality through various workshops.
Ekrem İmamoğluSupport for Women's Labor and Struggle
Speaking after Dr. Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, stated that they are fighting a great struggle for women to have a stronger presence in every field in Istanbul. He stated that women having equal rights in education, business life and social life is a great gain not only for women but also for the whole society. İmamoğlu proudly stated that the representation of women in business life in Istanbul has increased and the number of female managers in Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has increased by 172 percent.
Ekrem İmamoğlu, Stating that women should be represented strongly at every level in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and that they act with this understanding, he said that they will continue to support women to take more place in business life. He also gave the good news that women are supported in many areas such as health, education, career, legal consultancy through the IMM Women and Family Services Directorate and that these services will be increased in every district of Istanbul.
We Must Take Steps Together for Gender Equality
This event demonstrates that the struggle for women's rights should not be limited to just one day, but should be continued resolutely in every area of life. The fact that women having equal rights is important for every individual in society was emphasized once again at the event. Dr. Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu and Ekrem İmamoğlu's statements clearly show that the necessary steps must be taken to ensure that women are in a stronger position in social life.
As a result, the “Inspiring Steps Meeting” has created an important platform for gender equality and has been an event that raises awareness in society about women’s rights. The message that women’s rights are not only a problem for women but also for all of humanity, and that the whole society must work together to solve this problem, has been given.
