MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Şırnex – The Silopi Municipality run by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) opened the “Women’s Labor Market in the Silopi district of Şırnak in March 2022. At the market, only craftswomen can show and sell their products and rent shops. The market providing employment for women of the district has 12 shops, a café and a breastfeeding room. All employees of the market are women. Aygül Binici is one of the women who rent shops at the market. Aygül Binici sells natural products such as milk, jam, cheese, tomato paste and fruits at her shop, which becomes hope for dozens of women in the district because Aygün Binici sells products made by women at her shop.

‘The market provides employment for women’

Aygül Binici applied to the municipality to rent a shop and in a short time, she began to work at her shop after her application was approved by the municipality. Her shop has become a livelihood not only for herself but also for a thousand women in the district. “After I opened the shop, people began to come to my shop to buy products. Now, my business is doing very well. I feel very happy working along with other craftswomen at the market. Markets like this should be opened across the country. I feel better when I work and I become socialized by working here,” Aygül Binici told NuJINHA.

‘I have learned many things’

Aygül Binici sells products made by women living in villages. Since she started her business, she has been more confident. “People like the products and come to my shop to buy them. I think all women should work hard for themselves. At the shop, I sell dairy products, fruit, cheese, tomato paste, etc. I buy these products from villages. Shortly after opening this shop, the women living in villages brought me the products made by them and I started selling these products here. I only buy and sell products made by women.”

It becomes a livelihood for a thousand women

Not only Aygün Binici but also dozens of women earn a living at the market opened by the municipality. Aygül Binici said, “Sometimes, I find milk bottles when I go to my shop in the morning. Women leave them in front of the shop. They trust me and I like this. At my shop, I sell my products and the products made by women. This shop becomes a livelihood for me and a thousand women. Women become very happy when they earn a living by selling their products. When I see their happiness, I feel happy.”