President Erdo?an offers 'Turkish-style' women's rights

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has declared the country should develop its own unique values of gender equality, finding inspiration from his will to have a new constitution which will pave the way for an authentic "Turkish-style" presidential system.

Erdo?an's brainchild came as he criticized members of the Kurdish problem-focused Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and indicated parliament should use its constitutional authority to lift the immunities of HDP deputies, whom he has frequently accused of siding with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

"Those who impose their understandings on this nation are the enemy of both our women and our people. This issue is not a matter of lifestyle," Erdo?an said on March 7, while delivering a speech at an event held by the Confederation of Righteous Trade Unions (Hak-??) on the occasion of March 8, International Women's Day. 

"On the contrary, this issue is an issue for our country's and our nation's future. We had that saying, 'Turkish-style presidential system, Turkish-style constitution.' On this issue [women's rights] too, we are obliged to develop a Turkish-style model and implement it. We don't necessarily have to express, defend and implement women's rights in the format and style that exists in the West," Erdo?an said.

"We can all together take steps to strengthen the presence of women as human beings and as individuals in the light of our history and cultural background, by correcting mistakes and by eliminating shortages. Believe me, this way it will be much more effective. If the defense of women's rights had existed in the West in the literal sense, then they would not have remained silent about the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Syrian women along with their children,...