“Women bear the brunt of the conflicts and crises across the world”
Addressing the International Women and Justice Summit, President Erdoğan said: “It is an undeniable fact that women bear the brunt of the conflicts and crises taking place in the world. Wars, conflicts and destructions hit not only cities, countries and homes. They also affect innocents, the helpless, the weak, children, and most of all, women. We have experienced this reality in a very painful manner in many conflict zones. However, we cannot recall any other war in recent years in which women and children have been targeted as directly as in the genocide in Gaza.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a speech at the 6th International Women and Justice Summit held by the Women and Democracy Association (KADEM) under the theme of “Artificial Intelligence and Women”, in Istanbul.
“WE ARE LIVING IN AN AGE WHEN THE DIGITAL CULTURE HAS UPENDED HUMANITY’S PERCEPTION OF LIFE”
Noting that history shows the world changes its shell and transitions to a new phase every 100 years in a general sense, President Erdoğan said: “We are now living in an age when digital culture, in which the real has been replaced by the virtual, the fact by the perceived, and the truth by the lie, has upended humanity’s perception of life. We see it in a clear manner that digitalization, while offering products, opportunities and comfort on one hand, has objectified human beings and eroded human beings’ uniqueness on the other hand.”
Pointing out that a multidimensional digital hegemony is permeating people’s lives and expanding its area of influence more and more each passing day, President Erdoğan underlined that an aspect of technology, particularly that of artificial intelligence, which contributes to the deepening of injustice, is sometimes overlooked.
Scientific research shows that artificial intelligence reinforces social inequalities by repeating bad practices, underlined President Erdoğan, pointing out that women are the primary victims of artificial intelligence technologies and algorithms.
Stressing that the kind of technology that marginalizes women and treats them unjustly cannot bring any benefit to humanity, President Erdoğan stated: “A system which regards women’s labor as cheap workforce, which commodifies women, in which women exist only in name but have no say in politics, business world, education and state administration—in short, which excludes women from production, society, politics and academics—is not only incomplete. This is also an unjust order that disregards half of the society’s strength.”
“WE CANNOT RECALL ANY OTHER WAR IN RECENT YEARS IN WHICH WOMEN AND CHILDREN HAVE BEEN DIRECTLY TARGETED AS MUCH AS IN THE GENOCIDE IN GAZA”
“It is an undeniable fact that women bear the brunt of the conflicts and crises taking place in the world,” underscored President Erdoğan. “Wars, conflicts and destructions hit not only cities, countries and homes. They also affect innocents, the helpless, the weak, children, and most of all, women. We have experienced this reality in a very painful manner in many conflict zones, from Syria to Afghanistan, from Yemen to Ukraine. However, we cannot recall any other war in recent years in which women and children have been directly targeted as much as in the genocide in Gaza.”
Highlighting the heavy loss of civilian lives in Gaza, President Erdoğan stated: “We are faced with a murderous network that attacks and kills whatever stands in its way with the heaviest weapons, whether they be hospitals, schools, tents, aid queues, houses of worship, or homes. Two-thirds of the over 50 thousand innocent people murdered in Gaza in the last 13 months are women and children. Women who, under the shadow of weapons, are struggling to survive in poverty, to protect their families, and to feed their children are indeed making history. The brave women of Palestine, who defend their children, their families, their homeland and their cause under bombardments in Gaza, are emerging as monumental figures of pride for the Ummah.”
“WE WILL DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO STOP THE WAR”
Stressing that Türkiye will continue to stand by its brothers and sisters in Gaza and Lebanon until massacres stop and a state of ceasefire and peace is achieved, President Erdoğan highlighted Türkiye’s efforts to make sure Gaza remains high on the agenda during all the international meetings and bilateral talks.
“We have not allowed the Gaza genocide to be forgotten. Most recently, both during the 11th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States and the 5th Summit of the European Political Community, Gaza was at the top of our agenda. During my phone call with U.S. President-elect Mr. Trump in the Hungarian capital Budapest on Wednesday, I both congratulated him on his historic election victory and drew his attention to the massacres in Gaza and Lebanon. We expect that in his second term as President, my esteemed friend Trump will abandon the previous administration’s wrongful policies. We wholeheartedly believe that Mr. President will do his part in putting an end to the wars, and we sincerely hope for that to happen. We will do everything in our power to prevent further bloodshed and to end this conflict, this tension, this war, which particularly kills women and children and destroys their life.”
Also congratulating the brotherly Azerbaijani people on the 4th anniversary of the Karabakh Victory, President Erdoğan added: “Just as Karabakh achieved liberation following 30 years of occupation every single day of which was filled with pain, I believe that one day Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories will also taste freedom. We will work to reach that blessed day with an unshakeable faith, patience, and perseverance, and will maintain our endeavors on the basis of law and justice.”
