VZCZCXRO5157
RR RUEHAG RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDA #0216/01 2840543
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 110543Z OCT 06
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4315
INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0862
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/39OS INCIRLIK AB TU
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0916

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000216 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: WOMEN'S NGO IN SE TURKEY CHANGING ATTITUDES ABOUT "HONOR" 
KILLINGS 
 
REF: ANKARA 5606 
 
ADANA 00000216  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Summary 
----------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) A women's non-governmental organization - KA-MER - has 
established centers throughout SE Turkey and is making 
impressive inroads against the practice of families killing 
women who have damaged their "honor."  Although social attitudes 
remain regressive on this topic, KA-MER is influencing 
government approaches and has intervened to assist over 80 women 
facing domestic violence, and possible death in some cases.  To 
address the issue in the long-term, KA-MER is focusing on 
education of women and all government agencies associated with 
safety and health.  End summary. 
 
"Honor" Killings and Women's Rights 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2. (SBU) During a recent visit to Turkey's southeast, Adana PO 
and Ankara POLCOUNS met with representatives of KA-MER (Women's 
Center) in Diyarbakir and Batman.  KA-MER is an NGO dedicated to 
combating "honor" killings (KA-MER calls them "killings 
committed under the guise of 'honor'").  Although KA-MER faces 
enormous social barriers, in less than ten years it has helped 
change the actions and attitude of government and law 
enforcement, and has intervened to save the lives of dozens of 
women.  Together with other hopeful indicators of civil 
society's growth in the SE (septel), KA-MER is showing that the 
rapid social and economic change seen elsewhere in Turkey is 
also having an impact in the economically deprived southeast. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Research commissioned by KA-MER shows that residents of 
the region continue to regard acts of adultery or "promiscuous" 
behavior by young women as violations of family "honor" and that 
such acts are serious enough to justify attacks on women or even 
murder.  In many cases, women facing the prospect of these 
murders commit suicide or the murders themselves are passed off 
as suicides.  According to media reports, the number of such 
deaths may be as high as 300 per year in Turkey. 
 
Civil Society Responds 
---------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) KA-MER approaches the issue in two ways: for the 
long-term, it provides training, consultation and services to 
improve women's status.  This includes classes for women 
informing them of their legal rights, counseling for those 
experiencing domestic violence and assistance for those 
interested in starting businesses.  KA-MER is also working with 
the police and village-level officials to raise awareness of 
domestic violence issues and offer their services when incidents 
occur.  Diyarbakir office head (and KA-MER founder) Nebahat 
Akkoc noted that "honor" killings are not committed suddenly; 
the situation normally develops over weeks or months and people 
around the family are aware of the issue.  She said that 
"kaymakams" (central government-appointed sub-governors who have 
contacts at the village-level) frequently call KA-MER saying 
they believe a killing is going to happen but don't know what to 
do - or that their hands are tied. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Their plan, Akkoc explained, is eventually to create a 
triumverate of village headmen (muhtars), imams and teachers who 
can work as a team to help educate villagers and prevent 
killings.  KA-MER has passed this idea to the central 
government.  According to Akkoc, the Prime Minister's recently 
released circular on measures to decrease "honor killings" 
resulted from KA-MER feeding its ideas up the chain; the GOT 
does not explicity acknowledge their authorship, but what 
matters is the result (reftel).  Akkoc is hopeful that the 
circular may remove some of the barriers that have so frustrated 
sub-governors and others who have previously been unable to 
intervene to prevent such killings. 
 
¶6. (SBU) KA-MER's second key role - crisis intervention - comes 
into play here.  Over the last three years, the centers have 
assisted over 120 women who felt endangered in their homes, in 
some cases due to potential "honor" killings and in others due 
to abusive relationships.  KA-MER has provided counseling, 
mediation with the families, material assistance and in some 
cases help resettling the victim to another part of Turkey.  In 
two provinces, Diyarbakir and Mardin, KA-MER's efforts have 
prompted the establishment of "Emergency Intervention Teams" 
that include NGO's, government agencies and local religious 
officials. 
 
Comment 
----------- 
 
ADANA 00000216  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) KA-MER is tackling a problem that is extremely complex, 
involving deep-seated social practices and prejudices, a legal 
system that until recently turned a blind eye and difficult 
privacy questions.  While far too many people continue to regard 
violence against women as acceptable behavior, KA-MER's work 
seems to be causing a paradigm shift in how Turkish officials 
deal with these issues.  Akkoc acknowledged that, although 
KA-MER is now established in nearly all the provincial capitals 
of the southeast, it is often difficult for women in outlying 
villages to even know that such services are available.  KA-MER 
plans additional expansion to smaller cities, but its 
representatives emphasize that expanded literacy and early 
childhood education are the most important long-term weapons to 
battle the conditions that result in these tragic deaths. 
GREEN