The 7 principles of the “Women’s Empowerment Principles” (WEPs), developed under the United Nations (UN) Global Compact and “UN Women”, were also adopted by Üsküdar Üniversitesi. Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that they view gender equality as a matter of “rights” and “equality of opportunity.”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi, with the "Harassment and Discrimination Prevention Directive" published in 2017, had displayed a resolute stance against such negativities, particularly those encountered by women in social life.
This time, on March 08, International Women's Day, the university once again emphasized its effectiveness in the fight against gender discrimination by adopting the UN's "Women's Empowerment Principles" (WEPs).
Prof. Dr. Tarhan: “We interpret gender equality as ‘rights’ and ‘equality of opportunity’.”
Stating that as a university, they aim to create a free and peaceful environment for all employees without discrimination based on gender, and show zero tolerance for psychological pressure and discrimination, Founding Rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi and Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said the following:
“With the ‘Harassment and Discrimination Prevention Directive’ we published in 2017, we demonstrated our resolute stance against such negativities, particularly those encountered by women in social life. We interpret gender equality as a matter of “rights” and “equality of opportunity.” For this reason, we would like to express our pleasure in adopting the 7 principles under the “Women’s Empowerment Principles” (WEPs) established by the United Nations (UN). As members of Üsküdar Üniversitesi, we believe that ‘sexism is a form of discrimination equivalent to racism.’ We openly declare that we will continue to stand against physical and emotional bullying perpetrated against women, not only in our country but all over the world, and that we are ready to provide all kinds of support on national and international platforms for the empowerment of women.”
The 7 principles of the “Women’s Empowerment Principles” (WEPs) adopted by Üsküdar Üniversitesi are as follows:
1. Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality,
2. Support gender equality in business life, respect the principle of non-discrimination,
3. Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all women and men workers,
4. Promote education, training and professional development for women,
5. Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women,
6. Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy,
7. Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality.
World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition of gender
On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) had previously included the following statements in its definition of “gender” published on its official website: "Gender refers to the socially constructed characteristics of women, men, girls and boys. This includes the norms, behaviours and roles related to being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as their relationships with each other. As a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time.” The original text on the subject can be accessed via the link https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender#tab=tab_1.