Between 7 – 10 May 2024, a total of 87 women affected by the earthquakes of February 2023 attended a training aiming at empowering them to claim their rights and increased their knowledge on how to access support services. The trainings were organised in the container cities - housing more than 600 000 people displaced by the earthquakes – of the provinces of Malatya, Adıyaman, Hatay, and Kahramanmaraş.

The gender analysis carried out by the joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Fostering women's access to justice in Türkiye” had underlined how disaster exacerbate existing gender inequalities, and how women face difficulty in accessing justice in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Building on the gender analysis, the trainings paid particular attention on property rights and right to housing, in addition to gender-based violence, divorce and alimony.

One of the trainers said “we were able to reach women in their own living areas and provide legal information where they reside. (…) We made the women, who lost their loved ones, homes, and routines due to the earthquake, feel that we were by their side”.

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