From Where I Stand: “We Need Women’s Voices for a Sustainable Marine Life and Fisheries Sector.”

Jun 16, 2022 | Huriye Göncüoğlu Bodur
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“I grew up in a house with a sea view. As a child, I loved watching and being in the sea. I always wanted to dive deeper, in like the story of The Little Black Fish by Samed Behrengi, which my mother used to read to me. We used to spend part of our summer holidays in my grandmother’s vineyard where I learned solidarity, collaboration and collective labour.

With these two women in my life, I started to dream of a better world. This dream transformed into a vision of an equitable fisheries sector where men and women have the same rights.

During my education, I realized that women in the fisheries sector cannot participate in decision-making and experience challenges in accessing information. In 2019, I established the Women in Fisheries Society, a civil society organization aiming to strengthen artisanal fisheries and fisherwomen. The society challenges gender roles and stereotypes in the fisheries sector in Türkiye. It also works for an ecosystem-based ‘blue economy’ for preserving and sustaining marine resources.