First of Awareness-Raising Seminars Held in Gaziantep
5 April 2019
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A seminar was held on 24 March for the spouses of women who benefited from the work of SADA Women Development and Solidarity Centre under the project “Strengthening the Resilience of Syrian Women and Girls” being implemented in Gaziantep jointly by UN Women, ILO and ASAM. A total of 42 persons, including 3 Turkish and 39 Syrian citizens, participated in the seminar focusing on the rights at work, procedures for obtaining work permits, protection against work accidents, and importance of women’s participation in working life.
At the seminar involving the use of interactive informational means, participants worked, through group activities and game plays, on such topics as how to obtain work permits, file legal applications to open a business, what aspects need strengthening for access to formal jobs, rights conferred upon the issue of work permits, legal rights, and access to relevant public entities. Videos were watched depicting women successfully performing the so-called “men’s jobs” such as repair, lathing etc. through which the individual and social benefits were emphasised when women participated in working life. Group discussions were held on how women’s participation in working life would benefit herself, her spouse, family and society, as well as what might be the harm.
Discussions supporting women’s engagement in working life revealed such benefits that women’s personality would become stronger, women would have self-confidence, obtain financial independence, opportunities for new projects would arise, women would support the spouse financially, could meet own needs rather than expecting financial contribution from the spouse. The discussion seeking answers to the question of what harm might possibly arise from women’s engagement in work revealed that participants saw traditions and customs as the biggest barrier to women’s work. Participants also noted that they faced the problem of who would take care of the children once women went to work; and that the living conditions caused changes in the traditions which so far disapproved women’s work.
At the end of the seminar, the copies of a letter were distributed to participants in which a Syrian woman, fighting to survive along with her children following the loss of her spouse, told about the positive changes both in her life and in the lives of her children upon her participation in working life. Taking keen interest in the seminar, the spouses of women beneficiaries of SADA Women’s Centre had the opportunity to talk about the questions and problems relating to working life.
At the seminar involving the use of interactive informational means, participants worked, through group activities and game plays, on such topics as how to obtain work permits, file legal applications to open a business, what aspects need strengthening for access to formal jobs, rights conferred upon the issue of work permits, legal rights, and access to relevant public entities. Videos were watched depicting women successfully performing the so-called “men’s jobs” such as repair, lathing etc. through which the individual and social benefits were emphasised when women participated in working life. Group discussions were held on how women’s participation in working life would benefit herself, her spouse, family and society, as well as what might be the harm.
Discussions supporting women’s engagement in working life revealed such benefits that women’s personality would become stronger, women would have self-confidence, obtain financial independence, opportunities for new projects would arise, women would support the spouse financially, could meet own needs rather than expecting financial contribution from the spouse. The discussion seeking answers to the question of what harm might possibly arise from women’s engagement in work revealed that participants saw traditions and customs as the biggest barrier to women’s work. Participants also noted that they faced the problem of who would take care of the children once women went to work; and that the living conditions caused changes in the traditions which so far disapproved women’s work.
At the end of the seminar, the copies of a letter were distributed to participants in which a Syrian woman, fighting to survive along with her children following the loss of her spouse, told about the positive changes both in her life and in the lives of her children upon her participation in working life. Taking keen interest in the seminar, the spouses of women beneficiaries of SADA Women’s Centre had the opportunity to talk about the questions and problems relating to working life.