In the fifth year of the presidential government system, Turkey found itself grappling with the unpleasant resurgence of issues reminiscent of the 1990s.
High inflation, declining purchasing power, deepening poverty, and animosity toward migrants and refugees created a sense of déjà vu.
Moreover, the quarantine conditions laid bare another social reality: Women were disproportionately affected by the lockdown, facing increased domestic violence, an unequal burden of household labour, and isolation.
Heinrich Böll Stiftung Turkey dedicated those years to analysing these dual crises—male violence and the gendered toll of the pandemic.
This is how Turkey entered its long-awaited centennial year, but with the upcoming elections, hope still flickered on the horizon.
1 – Inspired by Mor Çatı's emphasis on domestic violence and care work during the pandemic, we partnered with KONDA this year to conduct in-depth research on these pressing issues. (hbs) 2 – An international convention targeted and sacrificed simply for not discriminating based on gender and sexual orientation in cases of domestic violence: In pursuit of the Istanbul Convention, which Turkey played a leading role in drafting… (hbs) 3 – Newly appointed deputy director Julia Bartmann with our former ecology project coordinator Menekşe Kızıldere at the first Local Youth Conference we organized with Climate Pioneers in October 2022, before COP27. (Julia Bartmann) 4 – In 2022, Turkey relived the traumas of a few years prior; Taksim Square was once again the target of a bomb attack. (Wikimedia/Kurbanbek) 5 – While Turkey is re-experiencing the inflation rates of the 90s, they said in their duet with Edis, "My emotions surge like the dollar, a runaway currency". Musician Gülşen was arrested for a joke she made and stayed away from the stage for months. (Instagram/ Gülşen) 6 – Russia's invasion of Ukraine started one of the bloodiest wars in recent history. It was to be followed by the war in Gaza, which began in 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel. The two wars would profoundly affect Turkey's current foreign policy. (Reuters/Ermochenko)