Empowering Women for Gender Equality and Socioeconomic Inclusion in Adıyaman
Implemented between March 2024 and January 2025 by the Business and Human Rights Association (BHRTR) with the support of the Consulate General of Sweden in Istanbul, this project focused on promoting gender equality and inclusive workplace practices in the ready-to-wear sector in the earthquake-affected region of Türkiye, with a particular emphasis on the Adıyaman Organized Industrial Zone (AOIZ).
The 6 February 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes caused severe damage to the region’s industrial infrastructure and disrupted local labour markets. Women workers in the ready-to-wear sector were disproportionately affected, facing increased care responsibilities, psychosocial challenges, and structural barriers to equal participation in the workforce. Against this backdrop, the project was designed to assess these challenges, enhance awareness, and strengthen company-level capacities to integrate gender-sensitive, human rights-based approaches into workplace policies.
Project
Empowering Women for Gender Equality and Socioeconomic Inclusion in Adıyaman
Project Partner
Consulate General of Sweden in Istanbul, Adıyaman Organized Industrial Zone and Private Sector Actors
Status
Completed
Project Activities
Gender Assessment
The project began with a gender assessment conducted in Adıyaman. Based on meetings with local stakeholders and surveys involving 800 employees, the assessment identified the main obstacles to women’s participation in the workforce and documented the compounded impacts of the earthquakes on women workers. These findings served as the foundation for the project’s subsequent activities.
Awareness-raising workshops
Following the gender assessment, awareness-raising workshops were organized for women workers. These sessions addressed human rights, gender equality, and gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH). To respond to urgent needs revealed by the assessment, psychosocial support sessions were incorporated into the programme, and parallel creative activities were organized for children, enabling women to participate more actively.
Capacity-building trainings
At the company level, capacity-building trainings were delivered to employers, human resources personnel, occupational health and safety specialists, and worker representatives in the ready-to-wear sector. The trainings emphasized the development of gender-sensitive workplace policies and the establishment of effective grievance mechanisms aligned with international standards.
Model grievance mechanism
A model grievance mechanism tailored to the capacities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was developed. The model incorporated principles of accessibility, confidentiality, non-retaliation, and transparency. It was accompanied by practical tools including guidance materials, template forms, posters, and a draft anti-retaliation policy, all of which were shared with participating companies to support institutional adoption.
The project’s relevance extended beyond the local level. It was presented at the OECD 2024 Side Session, where it was highlighted as a good practice example of integrating gender equality and business and human rights perspectives in post-earthquake recovery processes in Türkiye’s ready-to-wear sector.