On the occasion of December 3 World Disability Day and December 10 World Human Rights Day, an informative conference titled “Strategies for Combating Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities in the Context of Human Rights” was held on December 5, 2022, via the online Zoom platform by the Üsküdar University Human Rights Studies Application and Research Center and the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey (TİHEK). At the conference, moderated by Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı, Director of Üsküdar University Human Rights Studies Application and Research Center (İHAMER), TİHEK Assistant Expert Gizem Sefer took part as a speaker.
In her speech, Sefer first touched upon TİHEK's legislation, and then discussed types and grounds of discrimination. She stated that discrimination on the grounds of disability is prohibited under Establishment Law No. 6701, and in case of a violation of the discrimination ban, an administrative fine of up to 40,179.00 TL, in the context of the 2022 revaluation rate, may be imposed on public institutions and organizations, professional organizations acting as public institutions, real persons, and private law legal entities responsible for the violation, taking into account the severity of the violation's effects and consequences, the economic situation of the perpetrator, and the aggravating effect of multiple discrimination. Sefer also noted that Law No. 6701 contains provisions regarding disability and reasonable accommodation, stating that public institutions and private law legal entities are obligated to make proportionate, necessary, and appropriate changes and take measures, within their financial means, as needed in a specific situation, to ensure that persons with disabilities can fully and equally exercise or benefit from their rights and freedoms alongside other individuals. Subsequently, Sefer explained exemplary decisions from the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union, and TİHEK based on disability, as well as strategies for combating discrimination against persons with disabilities in the context of human rights, emphasizing the importance of TİHEK within rights-seeking mechanisms for protecting and promoting the rights and freedoms of individuals with disabilities. At the conference, it was underlined that Üsküdar University is one of the key stakeholders within the Institution's task of “developing public awareness through information and education, including the use of mass communication tools, on human rights and anti-discrimination issues.”
Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı thanked the students from Üsküdar University's Sociology Department and Molecular Biology and Genetics Department for their participation in the conference. He also shared the information that Üsküdar University, in collaboration with TİHEK, will continue its information and awareness activities in the field of human rights, and particularly the December 10 World Human Rights Day conference series, with the theme of “Women's Rights.”
The event concluded after the question-and-answer session.