Two women, only nineteen years old, were violently and brutally murdered in Turkey some days ago. Their names were Ikbal Uzuner and Ayşenur Halil. The violent outcry of women, long ignored against the brutal treatment they face, has gone unnoticed under a law that fails to protect them. The voices of women have strained themselves to be heard, let alone understood, still unrecognised by the authority allowing these violent killings, so loudly in fact, that even corporations have exploited the revolting news by raising the cost of pepper sprays and electroshock devices.
Often and consciously, I avoid the news because these sorts of things happen so often, so intentionally, that nobody can hold onto their sanity without a shred of ignorance. No matter how small, however, I have a platform in a media outlet that is mostly based on Western culture and Western feminism. Therefore, I must urge you, whether you want to turn a blind eye, as I sometimes do, or not, to widen your reality of where and how injustice thrives, and to give a global voice to the women who cannot raise any empathic attention in their society. It does not matter if you restack this; it is important to know what is happening outside your comfortable bubble, so that more people become aware of the current situation and question how to create a change.
No, the law protects the few. I am privileged enough to have an education and financial stability, creating many opportunities that women my age do not get. To paint the picture, one of the women who was killed had dealt with violent threats from her killer, to the point where her family paused her education to grant her safety by limiting her spending time outside, a perfect example of a government never stepping in unless it is too late. I am aware that this issue with authorities who fail to protect society does not only happen in my country. My country, unfortunately, fails to bring the issue to global political and social awareness.
No, I do not want to hear about men who talk about the measures that they take to make women feel safe, which is how a lot of men react to this news. I want to hear about what you're doing to no longer normalise this. To any male audience this may reach, whether you count yourself a feminist or not, whether you believe in patriarchy or not (based on social views shaped by the community that raised you), you will not lose anything by talking to women about their experiences and gaining different perspectives. Perspectives raise empathy, empathy goes against gender roles and defies violence, defining humanity. Humanity will make you different, it will make you educated, it will urge you to act, no matter how small the action may be.
This is not an uncivilised society at war. This is a country based on freedom of religion, freedom of education, and freedom of individual rights. If this fails to be executed, if its violence is brought to your attention, let it disturb you. Let it discomfort you. Know that it is your privilege of comfort and safety that feels threatened, because of women’s lack of comfort and safety, more uncomfortable and disturbing than you're allowed to pay attention to. Use your privilege to give a voice to those who have hunched backs and wary minds from being beaten by hopelessness and violence.
More importantly, do not let this be a piece of media you forget about quickly in the stream of mindless hatred you see all around. This is not a dystopian narrative. This is the reality for all the women in Turkey who are killed every day.