The Near East University Gender Research and Application Center (TOCAM) provided training in psychology, health, and art to female prisoners at the TRNC Central Prison and organized creative workshops.
The Near East University Gender Research and Application Center (TOCAM) conducted an educational event in psychology, health, and art for female prisoners kept at the TRNC Central Prison in Haspolat. Under the slogan “Let’s Think Together, Let’s Learn Together,” the event included workshops conducted by Near East University faculty members with the participation of 25 female prisoners from the TRNC Central Prison.
As part of the training, Prof. Dr. Özen Aşut, a faculty member from the Department of Public Health at the Near East University Faculty of Medicine, gave a presentation titled “Health Protective Measures in Closed Environments” while Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tijen Zeybek, a faculty member from the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Near East University, also provided important recommendation on “Emotional Balance and Ways to Cope with Stress.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatma Miralay, Head of the Art and Crafts Teaching Department at the Atatürk Faculty of Education, provided participants with a creative and transformative experience through a two-week “Art Therapy Workshop for Women.” The event also included question-and-answer sessions on topics of interest to the participants.
Assoc. Prof. Ayça Demet Atay said: “We aimed to touch the lives of female inmates with the training we provided, and we received very positive feedback.”
Assoc. Prof. Ayça Demet Atay, Head of the Gender Research and Application Center at Near East University, stated that they aim to implement projects that contribute to society, saying, “We academics don’t sit in ivory towers. We are in life, and we touch lives with our studies.” She emphasized that they prioritize work targeting vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. Ayça Demet Atay said, “Our workshop with female inmates in the Central Prison came to life in line with this principle. Through the training we provided, we aimed to touch the lives of female inmates, and we received very positive feedback. Crime is not just an individual matter; society and the system we live in also have a significant impact on the formation of crime. We need to share this responsibility in every aspect of life.”
Every human being, wherever they are, should have access to fundamental rights!
Prof. Dr. Özen Aşut, noting that Near East University connects with society and reaches out to those in need with a sense of social responsibility, said, “The university has a responsibility to society. These efforts should not be limited to women only, male inmates should not be forgotten.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tijen Zeybek also stated that the study yielded a more impressive result than expected, saying, “The interaction and sharing that emerged in the program was even better than I anticipated.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeybek added, “We all had different stories, but we came together in the commonality of being human and being women. We were good for each other and promised to come together again.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatma Miralay, emphasizing that the art project in prison was a very special experience for her, said, “I have participated in many projects, however, coming together with women here and producing art together had a completely different meaning.” Stating that she felt the silent but powerful effect of solidarity so deeply for the first time, Assoc. Prof. Miralay said, “I witnessed words turning into hope within the walls, I saw how valuable even small shared joys are. I understood once again that every person, wherever they are, should have access to fundamental rights.”
