The overall objective of the project is to contribute to revealing ongoing discrimination practices and realisation of necessary structural changes and to strengthen the mechanisms that work towards combating discrimination in Turkey. The specific objective of the project is to contribute to the improvement of the status of groups in Turkey who are discriminated against on the grounds of race or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability and their sexual orientation or sex identity. The project is planned taking into consideration the important role that civil society plays in protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and addressing the issue of discrimination. Accordingly civil society organisations (CSO), trade unions and lawyers (who defend the rights of people encountering discrimination) are defined as the main target group of the project. The project is funded by the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights of the European Union. Global Dialogue provided additional funding to the project. 

Following activities and outputs are accomplished in the scope of the project:

♦     Mapping Exercise Report that identifies key CSOs and trade unions working in the field of non-discrimination, assessing their profile and the level of their expertise, participated by 75 organisations (in Turkish)

♦    Networking Seminar attended by 28 CSO and trade union representatives, 6-7 November 2009, Istanbul

♦     Anti-discrimination Training Seminar attended by 22 lawyers, 21-23 January 2010, Istanbul

♦     Anti-discrimination Training Seminar attended by 24 CSO and trade union representatives, 28-30 January 2010, Istanbul

♦     Local Anti-Discrimination Training Seminar attended by 26 CSO and trade union representatives in cooperation with Batman City Council, 12 June 2010, Batman

♦     Local Anti-Discrimination Training Seminar joined by 22 CSO and trade union representatives in cooperation with Nilüfer City Council, 1 July 2010, Bursa 

♦     Two training resource materials to guide people, NGOs and trade unions who work in the field of non-discrimination:

       Prohibition of Discrimination: Concept, Legislation, Monitoring and Documenting (in Turkish)

       Training Manual on Prohibition of Discrimination (in Turkish)

♦     Monitoring reports on cases of discrimination in the fields of employment, education, health services, housing, and access to goods and services (all in Turkish):

       Monitoring report: Discrimination based on race or ethnic origin

       Monitoring report: Discrimination based on religion or belief

       Monitoring report: Discrimination based on disability

       Monitoring report: Discrimination based on sexual orientation or sex identity

♦     Dissemination meeting on monitoring reports on cases of discrimination joined by 52 people including members of media, 28 February 2011, İstanbul

♦     Turkish translation of Racial Equality Directive of the Council of EU

♦     Turkish translation of Employment Equality Directive of the Council of EU

For more information about the project please get in touch with Burcu Yeşiladalı or Gökçeçiçek Ayata.

Combating Discrimination in Turkey through Documenting and Reporting Project is implemented by Istanbul Bilgi University Human Rights Law Research Center and funded by the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)-Turkey Programme of the European Union and Global Dialogue. The contents of the project can in no way be taken to reflect the views of İstanbul Bilgi University, European Union or Global Dialogue.