The Director of Bayrak Radio Television Corporation Meryem Özkurt and the Chairman of the BRTK Board of Directors Özdemir Tokel issued messages on November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

In her message BRTK Director Meryem Özkurt noted that while the media has a vital power in shaping social perceptions and raising awareness in the fight against violence, social media, in addition to being an important tool in modern communication, has become a ground for the spread, normalization and implementation of violence today.

Özkurt stated that cyberbullying, digital violence against women, sexist discourse and damage to reputation through social media trigger the spread of hate speech and the normalization of violence in society adding that the circulation of fake news further deepens this process.

She underlined that violence on social media is a rapidly growing and complex problem of the digital age and said, “Combating this problem is possible not only through individual awareness, but also through legal regulations, social solidarity and ethical journalism principles.”

Özkurt also emphasized that an ethical understanding should be developed in the journalism profession that observes gender equality, acts with a sense of responsibility and avoids naturalizing violence.

The Chairman of the BRTK Board of Directors Özdemir Tokel, in his message noted that gender inequality lies at the basis of violence against women and emphasized that this problem is a social problem far beyond being an individual problem.

He said that all segments of the society have a responsibility not to remain silent, to raise awareness and to be in solidarity in this struggle against violence against women.

“Today is the day to defend women’s rights and to raise the struggle for an equal future. Today is the day to say no to violence. Today is the day to realize that a country where men and women are not equal is a half country, a country that cannot be complete, and a country that cannot be complete cannot develop in any field” said Tokel.