Paylaş
Seyhan, the largest district of Adana, is known as Türkiye’s eighth-largest district. However, some neighbourhoods of the district, particularly areas that have received heavy migration from the east, face serious socio-economic difficulties. Women are the group most affected in these neighbourhoods, where poverty has deepened.
Women facing serious barriers in many areas, from education and healthcare to security and economic independence, are seeking ways to sustain their struggle for survival.
Women Who Cannot Read or Write Are Being Excluded from Education
Approximately 80% of women in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Seyhan cannot read or write. While courses offered at public education centres had become a source of hope for women, the state’s decision to stop assigning teachers to these centres has deprived them of their right to education.
Women who want to learn to read and write are demanding that the courses continue, but they are not receiving the support they expect from authorities. While education is a fundamental necessity for women to gain economic independence, this opportunity has been taken away from them.
Caught Between Economic Violence and Unemployment
A large proportion of men in these neighbourhoods are unemployed or, even when they do work, do not share the household’s financial responsibilities. Women say they do not receive financial support from their spouses or male family members and that they are subjected to economic violence.
Women whose labour within the home remains invisible try to earn money through small-scale work such as cooking, knitting and selling jam in order to feed their children and make a living. However, as these activities do not provide a regular income, women are calling for the implementation of municipality- and state-supported employment projects.
Security Concerns and Women’s Lack of Protection
One of women’s biggest concerns is security. Women who are subjected to physical, psychological and economic violence complain that protection orders are not being enforced.
Women state that no sanctions are imposed despite violations of restraining orders and say that they do not receive adequate support throughout legal proceedings. They emphasize that the state and local authorities need to take more effective measures to prevent violence against women.
Young People Drawn into the Drug Crisis and Women’s Despair
Women’s second biggest problem is drugs. Drug use and drug dealing have become a serious problem in these neighbourhoods. Women, who say that almost every household has someone struggling with addiction, fear that their children will also be drawn into this crisis.
Individuals with drug addiction place both psychological and financial strain on their families. Women are calling for an increase in free and accessible rehabilitation centres for the treatment of people with addiction and for those affected to receive treatment at these centres. At the same time, they see drug dealers being able to move freely around their neighbourhoods as a major threat and demand that law enforcement authorities take more effective measures.
The Municipality and the State Have Major Responsibilities
These problems faced by women in Seyhan cannot be resolved through individual efforts alone. The municipality, state institutions and law enforcement authorities have major responsibilities in ensuring the right to education, preventing economic violence, increasing security measures and taking effective steps in the fight against drugs. Women are calling for an expansion of social assistance projects, the development of supportive policies for women’s employment and the provision of legal assistance to survivors of violence.
But they are no longer waiting for words; they are waiting for action. They are tired of carrying the burden of the struggle for survival alone. Rather than being left on their own, they want their voices to be heard and real solutions to be produced. This struggle for the rights to education, security and economic independence is not only their responsibility, but a shared responsibility of society.
As long as the silence of the authorities continues, this vicious cycle will persist. However, it must not be forgotten that a strong society is only possible with strong women. Now is the time to hear this voice and take action.
This article was prepared in 2025 by journalist Dudu Büşra Maksutoğlu Karadeniz as part of the Local Women Journalists Network Project.
