Conference: Stop Violence Against Women

On Thursday, November 26, HTIB and VON are hosting an inspiring international conference with Tolhuistuin on the prevention of violence against women, as part of the global Orange the World campaign and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Leading journalists and experts from the Netherlands and Türkiye, including Saskia Beleman, Banu Güven, and Şirin Payzın, will address early prevention, victim support, and the social empowerment of women. Attendees can actively participate during the Q&A sessions and network during the closing reception.

Saskia Belleman is a court reporter and crime journalist at De Telegraaf. In 2024, she was named Journalist of the Year by Villamedia, partly in recognition of her podcast Zij is van mij (She Is Mine), which explores femicide in the Netherlands. Her book of the same name was published in 2025. Through her work, she sheds light on how the Dutch criminal justice system deals with violence against women.

Banu Güven is a prominent Turkish journalist, news anchor, and columnist with a master's degree in International Relations from Boğaziçi University. She spent more than 14 years at NTV, producing and presenting influential news programmes, and has written for publications such as Milliyet and Radikal. She later produced programmes for İMC TV, DW Türkçe, and WDR Cosmo. Today, she contributes to independent digital media platforms, including İlke TV and Kısa Dalga, focusing on current social issues, press freedom, and human rights in Turkey and Germany.

Şirin Payzın is an experienced Turkish journalist, diplomatic correspondent, and television presenter who studied at New York University and is fluent in English and French. She became widely known as a senior diplomatic correspondent and host of the influential debate programme Ne Oluyor? (What's Happening?) on CNN Türk. She has received awards for her interview with Gaddafi and her documentary on honour killings (Hepsi Birer Güldünya). Following her work at Halk TV, she now produces incisive social and political commentary, in-depth interviews, and international affairs analysis for the independent news platform T24.

Songül Mutluer is a member of the Dutch House of Representatives, serving since 2022, initially for the Labour Party (PvdA) and later for GroenLinks-PvdA and PRO. A trained lawyer, she previously served as an alderwoman in the municipality of Zaanstad. In Parliament, she advocates for women's rights and measures to combat femicide. Her parents came to the Netherlands from Turkey as migrant workers.

Özlem Bulgan is the moderator for this event; she is the social media editor at Amnesty International and a co-organizer of the Amsterdam Kurdish Film Festival. 

Description of the programme

Programme Schedule

• 19:00 – 19:30 | Doors Open & Arrival
• 19:30 – 19:45 | Welcome & Official Opening
  Welcome remarks on behalf of VON, followed by an introduction from moderator Özlem Bulgan.
• 19:45 – 20:45 | Panel Discussion – Part 1: The Situation of Women in the Netherlands & Turkey
• Panellists: Saskia Belleman, Şirin Payzın, Banu Güven, Songül Mutluer, and Linda Senden (to be confirmed).
• 20:45 – 21:00 | Break
• 21:00 – 22:00 | Panel Discussion – Part 2: Early Prevention & Support for Victims
• 22:00 – 22:30 | Networking Reception & Drinks

About our event partners

HTIB (Turkish Workers' Association in the Netherlands)

Since 1974, HTIB has been dedicated to promoting the emancipation, integration, and social participation of the Turkish community in the Netherlands. Guided by its core values of inclusion, respect, and empowerment, the organisation builds bridges within society through education and intercultural dialogue. It also actively advocates for equal rights and works to combat violence against women.

VON (Refugee Organisations Netherlands)

VON is the national network of and for refugee organisations in the Netherlands. The organisation represents the interests of refugees and communities with a background of political migration, promoting their social participation, empowerment, and the protection of fundamental human rights.

About the collaboration

Through this conference, HTIB and VON join forces to foster the international exchange of knowledge and experiences on women's rights, strengthen connections between civil society organisations in the Netherlands and Turkey, and ensure that the prevention of violence against women remains a long-term priority.

Location