ABSTRACT
A women's human rights regime has emerged and is on the global agenda. There are now global norms, legal instruments and monitoring mechanisms in place. In Turkey, women's rights have historically been viewed through the prism of the secularism versus Islam debate. The rise of the women's movement in the early 1980s was paradoxically aided by a space created by the closing of political parties, the crushing of the leftist student movements and the ensuing military coup. The violence against women, including harassment on the streets, became the focus of a successful campaign. The globalization process has contributed to the rise of women's human rights norms. The rise of global women's networks and donor assistance for gender equality such as that of the United Nations Development Programme, other United Nations agencies, the European Commission in Turkey and bilateral donors have played significant roles in their support of the National Women's Machinery.
