Positive discrimination principle in Turkey in context of women's rights

Human rights have been defined through men throughout history and women have been excluded from the public sphere. The concept of women's rights has emphasized that women have equal rights with men, especially by the influence of feminism. The concept also became loud in the Turkish context by Ottoman Reform Movement and continued to develop during the Republic times. 'Positive discrimination' represents more sense when it is evaluated in this conceptual framework. The development of Women's Rights in the current context of Turkey's Legal System continues with the signing of International Agreements. CEDAW is one of the most important agreements. The positive discrimination provision in Article 10 of the 1982 Constitution has been added to the current article with the effect of this agreement. Moreover, there are many organizations that play an active role in the Turkish Legal System such as Women and Men Equal Opportunities Commission of Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Many conferences are held, and reports are prepared by these organizations in order to bring positive discrimination into the practical sphere. Undoubtedly, these activities have a positive impact on the women's rights legislation and its practical implications in Turkey, but when the reports and statistics, it is seen those developments are not enough. Keywords: Women's Rights, Positive Discrimination, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Principle of Equality, Prohibition of Discrimination, Factual Equality, Historical Development of Women Rights, Women Rights in Turkish Law.