End Domestic Violence! Campaign in its sixth year
Hürriyet Newspaper Corporate Communications Coordination Department has supported the End Domestic Violence! Campaign into its sixth year in 2009. The department has organized this campaign utilizing the non-governmental organization methodology, in compliance with the principles of corporate citizenship and devoted to scientific and legal criteria.

The first large event of the End Domestic Violence! Campaign in 2009 was the Güldünya Song concert organized during the week of March 8th, World Women’s Day. In 2008, on November 25, the Day to End Violence Against Women, Hürriyet’s End Domestic Violence! Campaign released the Güldünya Songs Album, bringing together 13 prominent Turkish female singers for the first time. The proceeds of the album were donated to the Domestic Violence Emergency Helpline. On March 9, 2009, the songs in the album were performed at a concert. The proceeds of the concert were also donated to the association Aralık Derneği to be transferred to Domestic Violence Emergency Helpline.

The 13 musicians who contributed to the album were Sezen Aksu, Ajda Pekkan, Nazan Öncel, Emel Müftüoğlu, Aynur, Zuhal Olcay, Aylin Aslım, Nilüfer, Şebnem Ferah, Şevval Sam, Rojin, Ayten Alpman and Funda Arar. Eight of these singers (Sezen Aksu, Ajda Pekkan, Funda Arar, Şebnem Ferah, Aylin Aslım, Şevval Sam, Aynur and Rojin), came together and sang in Istanbul at the Güldunya Concert, to put an end to violence towards women.

Headlines were made when Ajda Pekkan and ethnic Kurdish singer Aynur came together and sang a song in Kurdish; this event was given special attention by all newspapers and TV channels in Turkey.

The Campaign visits a jail
In 2009, the End Domestic Violence! Campaign organized a gathering at the Bakırköy Women’s Prison on March 8th, World Women’s Day, in order to boost the moral and hope of both the prisoners and the guards. Ajda Pekkan and Aylin Aslım also joined this event. Campaign officers, Pekkan and Aslım took up the issues of women’s rights and the struggle against domestic violence, in this gathering attended by hundreds of female inmates.

The Campaign at the Bilge Village
After the massacre that took place in May at Bilge Village in the province of Mardin, Hürriyet’s End Domestic Violence! Campaign organizers took their place among the experts that flocked to the village to help relieve the trauma. The Campaign formed a psychological support group with experts in its organization and provided support to the residents of Bilge Village. The team also assisted other support efforts in cooperation with public authorities.

• In 2009, on January 7th and 8th public officers who work in this field and police academy students received awareness training on domestic violence.
• On January 14, 2009 within an event organized by the NGO Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği (Association for the Promotion of Modern Living) a meeting was organized to raise public awareness and directed at women from Istanbul’s Esenler district.
• On January 29, 2009, members of the Istanbul Nurtepe Women’s Cooperative attended a training course to help women living in their neighborhood.
• The Campaign members took part in the Women’s Human Rights Workshop organized on March 4, 2009 by the Istanbul Governorship.
• On March 5 2009, faculty and students of the Aydın University received training on the topic of domestic violence.
• In a campaign by the Union of Istanbul Women’s Associations various public training events dealing with domestic violence were organized during 2009; Unkapanı on January 20, Küçükyalı on February 17, Fatih on March 10, Gaziosmanpaşa on March 17, Ümraniye on April 7 and Maltepe on April 28.
• On April 30, women from Nurtepe, Istanbul received training.
• In Adana, from May 4th until May 8th and from May 25th to 28th in Malatya, police, gendarmerie, personnel of the Agency for Social Services and Protection of Children, psychological consultants and members of NGOs received training about domestic violence. To make it a more productive study with all authorized personnel from these agencies, two days of inter-agency collaboration training was organized.