After the devastating earthquakes hit Türkiye on 6 February 2023, around 9.1 million people were directly affected in the region. The Government of Norway generously provided financial support to contribute to UNFPA’s earthquake response. Some of this aid was used to support our Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS) implemented by the KAMER Foundation in Malatya and Adıyaman provinces.

United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA Türkiye, within the scope of this year's International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Ambassadors of Ireland, Norway and New Zealand organized a co-hosted event. Held at One Tower Assembly in Ankara “Open Mic: #GBVdisruptor” United Nations Deputy Resident Coordinator in Türkiye Gerard Waite and many Ambassadors as well as leading academics and civil society representatives working in the field of combating violence against women attended.

In Hatay, after more than 8 months had passed since the devastating earthquakes hit Türkiye, we met Esra in a tent settlement. Her eyes had indeed witnessed countless difficulties. With her daughter on her lap, she silently sat in front of her tent when we approached. We could almost feel her courage as she embraced her daughter when we first talked to her. She nodded with a reflective look when asked if she was in Hatay during the earthquakes. “Yes” she answered, “I was here.” It’s clear that her memories of that time run deep and the journey ever since has been exhausting.

Sexual health is not just about the absence of disease. 

It is an integral part of human health, a matter of holistic well-being – physical, mental, emotional – that enables people to reach their full potential. It’s about building relationships upon mutual trust and respect, and creating a safe space from which we can express ourselves and connect with others. It is inseparable from the full enjoyment of human rights, including every person’s right to bodily autonomy.

Menstrual health is a human rights issue – not just a health one.

Each of us has a right to bodily autonomy. The ability to care for your body while menstruating is an essential part of this fundamental freedom. Yet an estimated 500 million people lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities for menstrual health.

UNFPA has been supporting women and girls after the devastating earthquakes that hit Türkiye since day one. UNFPA Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Director Florence Bauer visited the affected areas and met with survivors, came together with public officials and partners to strengthen access of women and girls to health and protection services in order to address their urgent essential needs.

ADIYAMAN, TURKİYE  – “I’ve seen war, but this is even beyond that.” Fatma, 40, is from Idlib in northwest Syria, but lives with her four children in Adıyaman, in southern Türkiye. 

TÜRKIYE – “We were too scared. We left our houses immediately and couldn’t take anything for the birth, not a single baby cloth. There was no one to communicate with and no place to stay. We felt helpless.”