Struggle for equal representation in bar associations 

2021-08-13 13:54:53


	 

	 

	Dilan Babat

	 

	ANKARA - İlke Işık, one of the lawyers who fight for equal representation in bar associations, said: ‘’We need to remind with a more organized struggle that there are women in bar associations, as in all areas of life.’’

	 

	While the struggle of women in all areas of life changes the course of history, as a result of this struggle, equal representation continues to be implemented in every field from local governments to political parties. Bar associations are one of the places where the struggle for equal representation, which the government targets with its policies, is fought. According to the data we have collected, there is one woman member in the Board of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB), one woman member in the disciplinary board, one in the supervision, and two women members in the delegates.

	 

	Only the chairperson of Artvin, Bilecik, Kırşehir, Trabzon, Sakarya, Samsun, Ordu and Sinop bar associations is a woman. There are total of 226 women members in the bar associations of 81 provinces.

	 

	On the other hand, the low number of women members in bar associations is tried to be increased in general assemblies.

	We spoke with the lawyer İlke Işık, who is the Ankara Bar Association Chairperson Candidate, from the Libertarian Contemporary Lawyers Group, about equal representation.

	 

	‘Representation rate is very low’

	 

	Stating that women are not preferred in bar association administrations where the problem of equal representation has continued for many years, İlke expressed that the profession of lawyer is a profession practiced by many women. İlke said: ‘’Increasingly, our young colleagues and female colleagues are also being joined. Let aside the equal representation, the representation rate is very low. When we look at the country as a whole, the number of female bar chairpersons is very low. This is the reflection of the inequality we experience in all areas of life to the bar associations. Women are practicing the profession, they are experiencing many difficulties. However, although it is not shown in bar association administrations, equal representation is unfortunately not experienced in the management of bar associations.’’

	 

	‘We paid attention to equal representation’

	 

	Stating that women struggle to have equal rights in every field, İlke emphasized that the issue of equal representation in bar associations is not considered specifically. İlke continued as follows: ‘’We are giving the same struggle in every field as in this field. Women, we have gained all legal rights by fighting. We are fighting for existence in every field. The struggle for the existence of female lawyers in bar associations has been an ongoing struggle for a long time. We need to transform this struggle into a stronger struggle together. As libertarian contemporary lawyers, it is an issue that we have focused on in the Ankara bar association elections for years. We had female candidates chairpersons from our group. At the same time, we have always paid attention to equal representation in our lists. We tried to organize our lists in a way that definitely includes our woman colleagues and reflects the struggle of the women’s movement.’’

	 

	‘There is political interference in bar associations’

	 

	Noting that they determined the slogan ‘’We Defend with Courage’’ at the Ankara Bar Association General Board this year, İlke explained why they determined this slogan: ‘’We see that political intervention in bar associations is made very openly. It is something that is clearly implemented that started with the multiple bar law. Political power wants bar associations that think like itself. It took the work to make ineffective the administration and establish follower bar associations to express their own ideas. It shows that bar associations should actually be organized as a field of struggle. This is not a period in which things can be overcome ‘by making one or two press releases, lobbying, pretending to object to certain things’. We have to fight in every field. As a field of struggle, we need to organize our bar associations. Otherwise, there is no way to cope with this terrible situation that the country is in. As Libertarian Contemporary lawyers, it is not possible for our female lawyer friends to be on the list because we look at the issue that way. Because we are also lawyers involved in the women's movement.

	 

	We should remind of a more organized struggle

	 

	As a part of the women's movement, one of the most fundamental elements of our bar component is women lawyers. Just as human rights, environment, animal, LGBTI+ and children's rights are one of the most fundamental rights, women's rights and women's struggle are also one of the most fundamental areas. We organize in this way because we look at the bar associations as an organization of struggle and we are the elements of this struggle and we determine our candidates accordingly. Unfortunately, when most of the bar associations or many lists prepared for this process are not prepared in this way, women seem to be invisible. We need to remind the bar associations that do not do this with a more organized struggle that they are a part of the struggle and that they cannot ignore women, that there are women in bar associations as well as in all areas of life.’’

	 

	‘Political power prevents us from doing the general board’

	 

	Informing that Ankara Bar Association General Board elections were postponed four times, İlke pointed out that there was a political calculation behind these postponements. İlke noted that many calculations were made regarding the tutelage of the TBB regarding multiple bar associations and said: ‘’They prevent the holding of the general boards of the big bar associations. Everything that happens in the country concerns bar associations and lawyers. Our colleagues and bar associations are unable to say ‘I don’t care’ against the political organization, the oppression and tyranny of the political power. The political power and political climate prevent us from holding a general board. No bar association or our colleague can say a sentence like ‘I don’t care’ to the Istanbul Convention. At the stage where the lawlessness of the country has come, we all need to do something with a common struggle. While the problems of the lawyers are very heavy, they are aggravated by the problems of the country. Lawyers work as an unsecured, labor lawyers for very low wages. We have colleagues who committed suicide and closed their offices. With this current understanding, we are left unsolved.’’

	 

	‘We are not alone and helpless’

	 

	‘’We defend with courage, we defend together,’’ she said. İlke finally stated: ‘’’We are not alone and helpless. As Libertarian Contemporary Lawyers, what we have established and tried to carry out is solidarity and unity. We are not an electoral group. We are not a group that comes side by side from election to election and promises in the election. We are a group that calls out to the country and to all the unlawfulness in Ankara and calls the lawyers to solidarity. This is how we determine our candidacy at the general board. This is our starting point. It is not something that we will go out alone in a country with such serious problems. We need to come out stronger and more organized. By knitting solidarity, we can overcome that we are not alone.’’