The Mor Çatı Foundation (''Mor Çatı Kadın Sığınağı Vakfı'') is a prominent Turkish

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

that works to combat gender-based violence and provide shelter and support services to

women A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional u ...

and children affected by

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

. The foundation is founded in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

in 1990, Mor Çatı has been central to the

feminist movement The feminist movement, also known as the women's movement, refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for Radical politics, radical and Liberalism, liberal reforms on women's issues created by inequality between men and wom ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, advocating for legal protections and public awareness of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

across the country.

History

Mor Çatı was founded in Istanbul in 1990 by a group of feminist activists, including Nebahat Akkoç, in response to the severe lack of resources and institutional support for women experiencing domestic violence. Turkey had limited legal protections for women facing

abuse Abuse is the act of improper usage or treatment of a person or thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, ...

, and societal awareness of

gender-based violence Gender-related violence or gender-based violence (GBV) refers to any kind of violence directed against people due to their gender or gender identification, culture may have a role to play, being lower in egalitarianism societies and higher, sexist ...

was minimal. Inspired by the growing Turkish feminist movement of the late 1980s, Mor Çatı's goal was to create both a safe space for survivors and a platform for advancing gender equality in Turkey. Since its inception, Mor Çatı has remained focused on providing shelter to women and children, offering both immediate crisis supports and long-term rehabilitation services to survivors. The organization has overcome numerous challenges, including legal and societal pushback, to establish itself as a key player in the Turkish feminist movement and a pioneer in advocating for comprehensive women's rights.

Help center

Volunteer work

Anyone can support Mor Çatı foundation and the feminist movement by being volunteers. The only pre-requisites are attending to the meetings and workshops. These meeting and workshops are aiming to raise awareness about domestic violence.

Psychological support

Psychological counseling is provided at Mor Çatı to overcome the hopelessness, guilt, shame and fear that come with experiencing violence and to create new life options. Conducting spiritual studies is important for women and children in terms of being recognized, seen, heard and providing a safe space. First of all, it is expected that everyone working in this field will not believe that any woman provokes violence or deserves it. In short, psychologists who will support women who are subjected to violence should have a female perspective.

Legal support

The big majority of women who are subjected to violence do not know their legal rights and how to use them. These needs of women are met with the legal consultancy provided by our volunteer lawyers. Women are informed about which laws they can benefit from when they are subjected to violence, what legal path and process they should follow, and how they can access free legal support if they are financially inadequate. A very common situation in the field of law is that even the positive provisions in existing laws cannot be implemented due to the non-female approach of the implementers. Therefore, it is of great importance for legal consultants to have a female perspective.

Shelters

Shelters are places where women exposed to male violence can stay with their children and receive the

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

legal Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a Socia ...

, etc. support they need to build an independent life away from violence. Mor Çatı has carried out 3 separate shelter projects to this day and provided shelter support to over 1000 women and children. The first of these was carried out between 1995 and 1998 being the first independent

women's shelter A women's shelter, also known as a women's refuge and battered women's shelter, is a place of temporary protection and support for women escaping domestic violence and intimate partner violence of all forms. The term is also frequently used to ...

in Istanbul. Mor Çatı has been continuing its independent shelter activities since March 2009 with the support it receives from organizations and sponsors such as municipalities and the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

Workshops

Sharing the knowledge and experiences gained through solidarity with women, creating awareness, and promoting feminist methods in combating violence against women are some of Mor Çatı's fundamental goals. This sharing and transmission of experiences takes place through various workshops. To become a Mor Çatı volunteer, everyone must first and foremost attend our volunteer workshop. These workshops are given to public institutions such as

bar association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence.

s and

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

for the sharing of knowledge and experience. The number of workshops held jointly with other women's options is close to 100.

Key campaigns and achievements

Mor Çatı has been a prominent advocate for critical legal reforms, including Law No. 6284, which provides protection measures for women and children facing domestic violence. This law represents a significant achievement in Turkish legislative history and a direct result of years of lobbying by Mor Çatı and similar organizations. Law No. 6284 provides women with emergency shelter access, legal protection orders, and social services to help them escape situations of violence. The foundation is supported many women seeking help to escape violent situations and secure housing, often needing to challenge misinformed officials who incorrectly deny them financial aid. Mor Çatı provides guidance to ensure these women access the correct protections under the law, underscoring the importance of advocacy for consistent application of these rights. Additionally, Mor Çatı has been a vocal proponent of the

Istanbul Convention The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention, is a International human rights instruments, human rights treaty of the Council of Europe oppos ...

, an international treaty aimed at preventing and combating violence against women. When Turkey controversially withdrew from the convention in 2021, Mor Çatı launched a high-profile digital campaign opposing the decision and rallied public support across social media platforms. The campaign not only raised awareness but also mobilized Turkish citizens to advocate for the protection of women's rights. As one of Turkey leading feminist organizations, Mor Çatı plays an integral role in the Turkish feminist movement, addressing not only immediate support needs but also systemic issues that perpetuate violence against women. The foundation collaborates with other Turkish and international organizations, contributing to both local and global feminist discourses that challenge patriarchal structures and advocate for societal reform. Mor Çatı's initiatives go beyond shelters and crisis intervention; the organization actively engages in public education and policy advocacy to shape Turkish society's understanding of gender-based violence. The foundation also conducts public campaigns and workshops, seeking to challenge ingrained societal norms that tolerate or excuse violence. For example, when the murder rate of women skyrocketed by 1,400 percent between 2002 and 2009. Mor Çatı created a video attempted to raise awareness of violence toward women in a public way. The group placed large posters of women jumping for joy, their arms and legs splayed out beyond the frame's borders, all around Istanbul. The text next to the women reads, "I want to live in freedom." Mor Çatı's digital activism has become increasingly influential, with the foundation utilizing social media campaigns, online resources, and webinars to educate the public about gender-based violence and the systemic changes needed to support survivors. Through this work, Mor Çatı has established itself as a prominent force in feminist activism, pushing for a society where women can live without fear of violence.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mor Çatı Foundation Wikipedia Student Program 1990 establishments in Turkey Organizations based in Istanbul Violence against women in Turkey Women in Istanbul