The joint European Union and Council of Europe action "Fostering women's access to justice in Türkiye" carried out collaborative meetings with the Faculties of Law, Economics, Administrative Sciences and Social Sciences at Ankara University, Atılım University, Çankaya University, Başkent University and Bilkent University in Ankara on 22 – 25 January. The aim of these meetings was to promote the tutored course on “Access to justice for women”, developed within the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP). The action also engaged with the Turkish Education Association and the career centre of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations to increase outreach to students across the country.

The action will deliver the course to 500 university students, shaping the knowledge and skillset of future lawyers. The tutored course will equip the students with up-to-date knowledge on gender-sensitive and victim centred legal aid for women in vulnerable situations, and international and the European legal norms and standards. The students will have the opportunity to be tutored by prominent legal professionals and engage in exchange of viewpoints with other peers.

The HELP course on “Access to justice for women” is planned to be launched for university students studying law and social sciences in February 2024.

The action “Fostering women's access to justice in Türkiye” is part of the European Union and the 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.