MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed- After the price hikes to electricity, water, natural gas, and basic needs in Turkey, the people have felt the impacts of the economic crisis more. While many companies have stopped working due to the increase in bills, thousands of people took to the streets to protest the price hikes. We asked “Can you make ends meet?” to the women in the streets of Amed (Diyarbakır). All women we interviewed told us “We cannot make ends meet”. They called for a decrease in the price hikes.

“I cannot meet my basic needs”

Berna Baran is a university student in Amed. “After the last price hikes, we cannot meet even our basic needs. The scholarship we receive is not enough. The costs of public transportation, books, and food are very expensive. We just had dinner at a restaurant and we paid 50 liras per person even if we are still hungry. We cannot participate in any social activities anymore. As students, we don’t have any social activities. We want to leave this country. We don’t see any future in this country. All of our friends cannot make ends meet. The food of the dormitory is very expensive. I cannot meet even my basic needs.

“We cannot buy sanitary pads”

“As a woman, I cannot buy even sanitary pads due to their high prices. We have to buy the cheapest ones. I cannot buy anything which is my top priority. For instance, my mobile phone was broken but I cannot have it repaired. When we meet friends, the only thing we talk about is our economic condition. I have no hope for the future. There is nothing but uncertainty. No one has a plan for the future. The country has nothing to give me,” Berna Baran told JINHA.

“We cannot pay the debt of what we bought from the grocery store”

“We have suffered from the last price hikes. My husband hasn’t worked for a while and we have four children going to school. I cannot buy anything my children ask from me. Sometimes, we eat nothing all day. We have bought everything on credit but we cannot pay the debt of what we bought from the grocery store. If this condition continues like this, there will be a great massacre. God help us all. There should be a decrease in the price hikes,” Semra Tedik said.

“Even if 10 people from a family work, it is not enough”

“Life is so hard. We barely pay our bills. People can't even pay the rent for their houses anymore. They can't even take care of their children anymore. We came from Şırnak to go to the hospital. We paid 600 Turkish liras to the hospital. People don’t know what they should do. Even if 10 people from a family work, it is not enough to make ends meet for the family. A kilo of date is now 15 liras. Poor people cannot buy. God help us. Nobody buys tomatoes, eggplants, or peppers anymore due to their high prices,” Beritan Aras said.

“Going to a café is a luxury now”

“Women face many difficulties when they don’t work. The minimum wage is very low. No one can make ends meet with this wage. People suffer a lot due to price hikes. Our bills are two or three times higher than last month. Everything is becoming more expensive every day. People cannot go to a café to have tea. Going to a café is a luxury now,” Hatice Aras told us.

“I don’t know how our future will be”

“Everything is so hard. The children cannot make ends meet. May God give the people having children patience. Before we could buy everything with 100 Turkish liras but now we cannot buy anything with 100 liras. I don’t know how our future will be. Citizens shouldn’t pay the bill of the crisis. People don’t deserve this unjust suffering,” Yüksel Aslan said.

“I cannot buy formula for my baby”

“We cannot buy formula and diapers for our baby now. We can't meet many of our needs due to high prices. The price of the formula is now 110 Turkish liras. The price hikes should be decreased immediately. We cannot buy food products anymore. We cannot meet our needs,” Ayşe Koçanarslan told us.