“This #challengeaccepted is in solidarity with Turkish women. Last year, Turkey lost close to 500 of them to femicide. This challenge aims to wake us up. Posting these photos of ourselves, reminds us we are no different than the murdered women who’s black and white images appear daily in Turkish newspapers. These atrocities must end.”
Repost from: @beelzeboobz :
I see many of my non-Turkish friends sharing black and white photos of themselves as a “challenge” but not knowing the reason or origin of the challenge. So here is an attempt to educate the little following I have. Please share this information if you want to support this movement so the message does not get lost in translation and so that the challenge won’t lose its meaning.
The black and white photo challenge started as a way for women to raise their voice. To stand in solitarily with the women we have lost. To show that one day, it could be their picture that is plastered across news outlets with a black and white filter on top.
Turkey is one of the top countries when it comes to femicides. Just in 2019, we have had almost 500 RECORDED femicides. Sadly many of them remain unrecorded and we have no real number as to how many women are murdered here every year.
Turkish people wake up every day to see a black and white photo of a woman who has been murdered on their newspapers, on their TV screens.
As if this is not enough, our government is trying to abolish certain aspects of the Istanbul Convention which is a human rights treaty that protects women against domestic violence. So not only are they not trying to stop it, they’re literally trying to make it legal for them not to stop it.
The government and our justice system does nothing to stop these crimes. Most often the murderers barely get a slap on the wrist or no charges at all.
I have seen many of my international friends participate in this challenge without knowing the meaning. While I am aware that there is no ill will, it is important to remind ourselves why posting a picture with a black and white filter is a “challenge” to begin with.
For more info follow @auturkishculturalclub #blackandwhitephotochallenge #femicide