Borusan’s “Geleceğe İlham Buluşmaları” airs a special episode for November 25

Borusan Holding’s Geleceğe İlham Buluşmaları released a special episode dedicated to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25). The episode explores the causes and dimensions of violence, the role of institutions, the importance of awareness, and shifts in public attitudes, based on the findings of the “November 25 – Gender-Based Violence: Perception and Attitude Change Report”, conducted in collaboration with KONDA.

Produced in line with Borusan Holding’s strategic focus areas of climate, people, and innovation, the November 25 special episode of the Geleceğe İlham Buluşmaları video series is now available.

Moderated by Barış Doğru, Editor-in-Chief of EkoIQ, the episode features Nursel Ölmez Ateş, Borusan Holding Group President of People, Communications, and Sustainability, and Ali Karakaş, Deputy General Manager at KONDA Research and Consultancy. The discussion focuses on the “November 25 – Gender-Based Violence: Perception and Attitude Change Report”, prepared by Borusan Holding in collaboration with KONDA.

Nursel Ölmez Ateş: “Women are now saying, ‘No way!’”

Emphasizing the limited progress in achieving gender equality within the Sustainable Development Goals, Nursel Ölmez Ateş stated that violence is not an individual issue but a multi-layered structural challenge.
“At Borusan, we act based on data rather than intuition. We identify root causes and turn insights into action,” she said.

Ateş noted that Borusan has implemented guidelines and support mechanisms to address domestic violence within the organization and has been advocating for gender equality for years through the Borusan Eşittir platform. She also highlighted the company’s goal of creating a transformative impact across its supply chain by setting standards and requiring compliance.

“Research should not remain on the shelf; translating findings into policies and practices is essential,” she emphasized.

Pointing to the strengthening of women’s rights-based objections, Ateş said:

“The narrative that ‘women should be careful’ is losing ground. The share of those stating that ‘women should not use public transportation alone at night’ declined from 69% to 54%, while the belief that ‘women should pay attention to their clothing at school or at work’ fell from 84% to 64%. Women are now saying ‘No way!’ to those who judge them.”
She underlined that young people are the driving force behind this change.

Ali Karakaş framed the discussion around gender stereotypes and the need to transform masculinity norms. He stressed that violence should be addressed not only in physical terms but also across its psychological, economic, and digital dimensions. Karakaş noted that discriminatory and isolating practices in professional and social settings are observed across different socioeconomic groups and pointed to similarities in perceptions across urban, rural, and metropolitan contexts. He also highlighted the persistence of a culture of silence—often summarized as “what happens in the family stays in the family”—particularly in city centers, and emphasized the growing importance of safety in both public and digital spaces.
He added that societal support for the principle of believing survivors’ statements is strengthening, alongside rising public awareness and solidarity.

The episode concludes with a call to strengthen cooperation among the private sector, public institutions, and civil society, and to ensure the continuity of data-driven approaches.

The new episode of Geleceğe İlham Buluşmaları is available on Borusan Holding’s YouTube channel.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_l8Ws4ipM4

To access the “November 25 – Gender-Based Violence: Perception and Attitude Change Report”: https://www.borusan.com/Uploads/borusanczm20250120konda-25-kasim-algi-arastirmasi-iletisimi.pdf