Discussions on feminist model of women's shelters in Turkey

Violence against women with different forms in public and private spheres is still a widespread problem both worldwide and in Turkey as a result of unequal power relations between gender roles in the patriarchal system. Violence against women especially in private sphere became more visible and has been taken into the political agenda as a problem with the rise of the feminist movement in the early 1970s in the world and in Turkey after 1980s. Shelters as an achievement of the feminist movement in this struggle; has a very important role in the empowerment of women who have been subjected to male violence, for their lives away from violence. However, the approach which the shelters are run by and the entire social policies are determinant in women's empowerment processes after violence. Shelters which are not carried out with feminist perspective have become a tool of oppression and control per se. In addition, due to the inadequate social support mechanisms for struggling VAW, women have to return to their violent relationships or they face difficulties to maintain their lives independently. This is a qualitative study that has been carried out with the feminist method and based on women's experience of shelters and aims to discuss women's shelters and related units, institutions, support mechanisms and practices in Turkey, in terms of social policy. At the same time, this study proposes a model for feminist shelters in particular; and holistic and feminist perspectives to general social policies. Keywords: Violence Against Women, Women's Shelters, Feminist Shelters, Feminist Social Work, Feminist Social Policy