Hikmet Tunç- Dilan Babat

 

VAN – “Women’s Labor Market” opened by DBP-held İpekyolu Municipality in Van province has been left to its fate after the appointment of the trustee to the municipality. 

 

Van’s İpekyolu Municipality held by the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) opened “Women’s Labor Market” in Bostaniçi TOKİ on March 8, 2016 in order to introduce local products through women’s labor. After the appointment of a trustee to the municipality, the market has been left to its fate. First 100 women opened stands in the market and then this number rose to 200. This number dropped to 15 from 200 following the appointment of the trustee to the municipality. The officials and gatekeepers were sent to other departments or dismissed from their posts. 

 

Şadiye Yılmaz has had a stand in the market since it was opened. She is trying to resist against the policies of the appointed trustee by exhibiting her products in the market. Stating that she applied to the municipality with a bang to open a stand in the market, Şadiye said, “I also resisted against my family. Because opening a stand as a woman wasn’t easy.” Despite all barriers, Şadiye opened a stand in the market and began to sell dried vegetables. “I sold the vegetables very well thank to the events of the municipality. Every day I came to the market with a great hope,” said Şadiye. 

 

‘The stands were closed following the appointment of the trustee’ 

 

Stating that most of women closed their stands following the appointment of the trustee because they couldn’t sell anything, Şadiye said “After the appointment of the trustee, our sales went down. The gatekeepers don’t work anymore. Previously, thieves had entered the market because there weren’t any gatekeepers in the market. As women working in the market, we met the trustee and we told our problems to him but nothing was done. I heard the market to be converted into a course of needlecraft. The women working here will not go to this course. Sometimes, we cannot work due to cold weather.” 

 

‘We don’t want to be governed by trustee’

 

Delal Bakan also has a stand in the market. She said her stand was her six children and her means of livelihood and she added, “I look after my children and I pay rent for my home in TOKİ buildings (the division for state housing). I cannot sell anything now. The central heating of the market doesn’t work and it is cold. I don’t want the market to be converted into something else. We want our mayors back. We don’t want to be governed by trustee.”