The Ministry of Family and Social Services ( tr, Aile ve Sosyal Hizmetler Bakanlığı) is a government ministry of the

Republic of Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, responsible for family affairs and

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

. The ministry is headed by

Derya Yanık Derya Yanık (born 1972 in Osmaniye, Turkey) is a Turkish politician and lawyer. In 2021, she became the Turkish Minister of Family and Social Services Career She graduated from Istanbul University in the Faculty of Law in 1995 with a BA. Betwee ...

History

Before the establishment of the ministry in 2011, the portfolio of women and family affairs was executed by a

state minister Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...

in the cabinet with the help of the Agency for Social Services and Children Protection ( tr, Başbakanlık Sosyal Hizmetler ve Çocuk Esirgeme Kurumu). The first head of the new established ministry was

Fatma Şahin Fatma Şahin (born 20 June 1966) is a Turkish chemical engineer and politician. On 6 July 2011 she was appointed as the Minister of Family and Social Policies in the third cabinet of Erdoğan. She was born on 20 June 1966 in Gaziantep to Mus ...

. In 2018, the ministry was merged with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to form the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services. This merger was undone in 2021, making the Labour and Social Security related tasks headed by a separate minister.

Services

The ministry features following branches of service: * Family and Public Services (Aile ve Toplum Hizmetleri) * Children Services (Çocuk Hizmetleri) * Disabled and Elderly Services (Engelli ve Yaşlı Hizmetleri) * Status of Women (Kadının Statüsü) * Social Aids (Sosyal Yardımlar) * Services for

Martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

Relatives and Veterans (Şehit Yakınları ve Gazi Hizmetleri)

Projects and programs

Domestic violence

The ministry worked out a bill on the "Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women", which passed on March 8, 2012. After the passage of the bill, 800 men in Izmir received a stay away order for a term between three and six months upon application of their wives to the public prosecutor. Ninety women who had been evicted from their home or were at risk of getting killed by their partners found accommodation in

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 ...

s. Following the enactment of the law on

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

, the ministry put an electronic device called a

panic button A panic alarm is an electronic device that can easily be activated to request help during an emergency situation where danger to persons or property exists. It is designed to minimize time until assistance can arrive. A panic alarm is freque ...

into service in September 2012 for use by women in emergency situations of a threat. Additionally, a one-touch mobile phone application was in development for emergency police calls. According to the records of the ministry, a total of 695 people, including 369 women, lost their lives between 2009 and 2012 as a result of domestic violence. The ministry reported in January 2013 that 6,764 women across the country received police protection.

Adana Province Adana Province ( tr, ) is a province of Turkey located in central Cilicia. With a population of 2.26 million, it is the sixth most populous province in Turkey. The administrative seat of the province is the city of Adana, home to 79% of the r ...

ranked in first place with 1,605 women. The ministry continued to be part of lawsuits on

honor killing An honor killing (American English), honour killing (Commonwealth English), or shame killing is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect what they see as the dignity and honor of t ...

s and

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

s. In a timespan of three months in 2012, the ministry got involved in 17 cases. In some cases, however, the court refused the ministry's request. In January 2014, the ministry prepared and circulated a manual to inform women about domestic violence, listing patterns of abusive behavior in a relationship with a partner.

Disabled and Elderly Care

The ministry started a project in 2012 for the establishment of special centers for the care of people with

developmental disabilities Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...

and

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

Vocational education for women

The ministry, together with the Ministry of National Education, launched a program on "vocational education for women". In one year, it was attended by 780 women from 28 provinces. The most popular class was "Child Care and Technology".

List of ministers

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Family and Social Policy 2011 establishments in Turkey

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

Turkey, Family and Social Policy Women's rights in Turkey