Beyond Binaries: Rethinking violence, gender and power

The panel discussion will bring together gender justice advocates and gender studies scholars from Pakistan, Turkey and the Netherlands, who will explore how gendered experiences of violence – across cisgender and transgender identities – intersect with broader systems of power, exclusion and inequalities.

Broadening narrow definitions of 'women' and 'violence'

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women offers an important opportunity to reflect on how gender-based violence is defined, represented and addressed. Yet dominant framings of 'violence against women' often rely on narrow and exclusionary definitions of 'women', which risk marginalizing transgender women and other gender-diverse individuals. 

This panel begins from the recognition that both 'women' and 'violence' are not fixed categories but socially and politically constructed ones. By deconstructing these categories, participants will examine how different forms of gendered, and systemic violence are interrelated. 

The conversation will also critically address the rise of anti-gender movements and trans-exclusionary feminist discourses, which, under the guise of protecting women’s rights, often reinforce hierarchies and legitimize violence against transgender individuals. 

Through comparative perspectives from Pakistan, Turkey and the Netherlands, the panel will highlight how the experiences of violence faced by trans and cis women are interconnected and how understanding these intersections can strengthen inclusive feminist and gender justice movements globally.

Speakers

• Ankara - TBC
• Islamabad - Nayyab Ali, transgender rights expert- Global Human Rights Fellow Harvard University Kennedy School
• The Hague - TBC

Moderators

• Ankara – TED University
• Islamabad – Amna Hafeez Mobeen, CEGS
• The Hague – Karin Astrid Siegmann, ISS

Event times

The event will be held live from Ankara, Islamabad and The Hague

Ankara - 12 noon EET
Islamabad - 14:00 PST
The Hague - 10:00 CET

Venues

• Ankara - Center for Gender Studies, TED University, Ziya Gökalp Caddesi No.48 06420, Kolej Çankaya, B 141 Erasmus Room
• Islamabad - Centre for Excellence in Gender Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University (CEGS), Smart Class Room, Computer Science Department
• The Hague - International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS), Kortenaerkade 12, attic