According to the most recent data published in the 2013 Population and Housing Survey, 7.9% of the female population in Turkey is composed of women with disabilities accordingly. Disabled women are often exposed to discrimination and many violations of their rights due to being both women and disabled, yet these problems often remain invisible to the rest of society. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities works to make disabled women and their problems visible by making special reference to women with disabilities, and encourages policymakers to take confident measures to empower these women and girls.
At INGEV, ensuring the full and effective participation in social life of disabled women and girls, increasing their participation in decision-making processes, guaranteeing that they can fully benefit from the rights and freedoms in international and national legislation are of great importance and focus in human development programs.
One of the main rights that disabled women face discrimination is the right to work. Since March 2020, disabled women have become INGEV’s priority target group in the “Improving Access to Livelihoods for People with Disabilities Project,” which has been carried out in partnership with Relief International and with BPRM funding support. INGEV is working to provide employment and entrepreneurship support to participants within the scope of the livelihoods project in order for disabled women to confidently benefit from their right to work.
Selen Göknar is one of these women able to benefit from INGEV’s entrepreneurship support. In spite of her hearing impairment, Göknar, who has experience in cooking and pastry in important kitchens, was able to establish her own pastry shop after applying to INGEV’s program. The success of her shop, ‘Silent Bakery’ attracted the attention of Anadolu Agency, who published a report about her and gained more public support for her business.