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Background
On February 6th, 2023, Türkiye was struck by two significant earthquakes that resulted in widespread devastation in the Southeast region of the country. Thousands of aftershocks followed. The earthquake affected 11 provinces with a population of around 14 million (16.4% of the total population of the country). Over 50,000 people lost their lives, and over 107,000 have been injured making it the deadliest such disaster since the country’s founding 100 years ago and one of the deadliest worldwide during this century. Thousands of buildings have suffered serious damage, including schools and health care facilities and other public infrastructure such as roads, airport, ports, oil terminals, electricity lines, water provision and sewage. Estimated 2.7 million people have left the affected region and migrated to other parts of the country.
Position of women in the affected region before the earthquake
Women and girls make up half of the population of the affected 11 provinces. 54% of the population over 60 years old are women, and 8% of the 3.5 million households are female-headed with at least one child. Prior to the earthquakes, an estimated 7.9 percent of females and 5.9 per cent of males in Türkiye were living with disabilities. However, this figure is expected to rise significantly in the aftermath of the disaster. As Türkiye hosts the largest refugee population in the world, around 1.74 million refugees (Syrians under Temporary Protection and International Protection Applicants and Status holders) live in the 11 provinces impacted by the earthquakes approximately half of which are women and girls.
Women are underrepresented in political decision making in the affected provinces – only 2 out of 135 mayors (11 provincial and 124 district) are women. The ratio of women municipal councilors is around 10%. Women’s labor force participation rate in the affected region is lower than the rate in in Türkiye as a whole, and there is a significant gender gap between women and men in labour force participation and employment. 6 of the 11 affected provinces were among the lowest female employment rated provinces across Türkiye. Lower access to labor force and employment indicates lack of social security and benefits. Ministry of Education data reveals that institutional childcare services are limited in the region. This coupled with traditional gender norms indicate high involvement of women in unpaid care and domestic work. Agriculture is one of the main sectors in the region. Almost all women employed in the agriculture sector work as unpaid family worker (78.7%; 20.2% for men), thus are deprived of social security benefits, health insurance, trade union rights and subject to poor working conditions and low wages.
According to the official data on domestic violence against women, available from prior to the earthquakes, the affected regions have a relatively lower rate of reporting to authorities and higher level of acceptance in case of violence. Among the 3 regions where the earthquake-affected provinces are dispersed, the rate of early marriages is significantly above the national average.8 Six provinces affected by the earthquake (Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Gaziantep, Diyarbakır, Kilis and Şanlıurfa) are among the 21 provinces with the highest rates of marriages below 18 years of age and are prioritized by Ministry of Family and Social Services efforts to combat early marriages through local action plans. In the affected provinces, divorce, alimony and custody are among the most common cases before family courts, which are inherently considered as violence against women (VAW) risks. Criminal courts in five of the affected provinces (Adana, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Malatya and Şanlıurfa) adjudicate higher proportions of sexual assault, sexual harassment and child sexual abuse cases, compared to other provinces in their regions. This data is indicating a pressing need for strong focus on prevention, risk mitigation and support services for different forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the response.