Forty women to remember: the Turkish and Moroccan women’s movement

Photo: Turkish women at a strike. By Bertien van Maanen. From the collection of Atria

In the 1970s and 1980s, more and more migrant workers became involved in associations and strikes that stood up for their rights and interests. In the 1970s, family reunification was made difficult. Those women who did manage to come to the Netherlands were made dependent on their husbands. Her residence permit expired if her husband returned to his home country or divorced his wife within 3 years of the certificate being issued.

In 1975, a group of Turkish women decided to secede from the general association and stand up for their rights as Turkish women: the Hollanda Türkiye Kadinlar Birligi (HTKB) was formed. The Moroccan Women’s Association (MVVN) followed in the 1982s.

Speaking History aims to capture the stories of the first generations of women who fought for their rights. We are also curious about the women of today: what social initiatives are there today and how do the women of today compare to the women of the past?

Together with volunteers, we will interview 40 women in the coming period about their involvement in women’s initiatives for Turkish and/or Moroccan women in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, The Hague and Eindhoven.

READ MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT ‘THE TURKISH AND MOROCCOAN WOMEN’S MOVEMENT IN 40 STORIES’

This project is carried out in memory of Özden Yalim (1946 – 2023), advocate of Turkish women’s rights and one of the initiators of the project.