Following the earthquakes in February 2023, the joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Fostering women’s access to justice in Türkiye” carried out a gender analysis to identify emerging needs in access to justice to women and girl victims of the earthquake from a gendered perspective in the aftermath of a natural disaster. The “Gender analysis in earthquake areas: women’s access to justice and legal aid” is now available online, and it can be downloaded in English and in Turkish. It contains valuable inputs from local bar associations in the earthquake zone, civil society organisations, and women’s rights commission of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TUBAKKOM).

The analysis provides practical recommendations to enhance the integration of a gender perspective in the provision of legal aid to women during a natural disaster aimed at the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (UTBA), women’s rights commissions within local bar associations and state institutions. The analysis points towards the improvements in the organisation and implementation of legal aid services, rendering them more accessible, gender-responsive, and empowerment-oriented for women, particularly those from vulnerable groups.

The findings of the gender analysis contributed to the development of a new training module within the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) course “Access to justice for women”. The action has trained lawyers from local bar associations in eight provinces, including four earthquake affected provinces. The trained lawyers will provide legal aid to women through a grant managed by UTBA.

The action“Fostering women's access to justice in Türkiye” is part of the European Union and Council of Europe’s joint programme "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye". It contributes to enhancing accessibility and quality of legal aid services for women and supporting key stakeholders, including civil society, as well as to increase legal awareness and literacy among women in Türkiye.