'Let's Talk' event in Antalya tackles taboos around women's health

First Lady of Turkey, Emine Erdoğan, centre left, and UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem at the ‘Let’s Talk!’ awards ceremony.

‘Let’s Talk!’ host and supermodel-philanthropist Natalia Vodianova at the opening of the panel discussions.

First Lady of Turkey, Emine Erdoğan, presents the ‘Let’s Talk!’ award to Dilek Sabancı on behalf of Special Olympics Turkey.

‘Let’s Talk!’ host Natalia Vodianova and ‘Gurls Talk’ founder and actress Adwoa Aboah at the awards ceremony.

‘The culture of taboos and stigma holds back many girls and women from realizing their rights and fulfilling their potential — and ultimately holds back entire societies from moving forward,’ says UNFPA Regional Director Alanna Armitage.

Miss Wheelchair World Aleksandra Chichikova from Belarus is among the 2018 ‘Let’s Talk!’ awardees for her engagement to promote the sexual and reproductive health of women with disabilities.

UNFPA Turkey spokesperson Azra Akın (right) receives the ‘Let’s Talk!’ award from Turkish interior designer Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu.

UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem (right) presents the ‘Let’s Talk!’ 2018 award to Dr. Nagham Nawzat Hasan, Yezidi activist and gynaecologist, for her support to survivors of sexual violence in conflict.

Dr. Nilesh Deshpande of UNFPA India, one of the panellists at 'Let's Talk!' Antalya 2018.

There are two major taboos among Roma, Nesime Salioska of Roma SOS says at ‘Let’s Talk!’ Antalya: child marriage and the expectation of virginity at marriage. Both are major barriers for Roma girls to succeed in life.

Professor Zeynep Şimşek of Bilgi University Istanbul is a panellist at ‘Let's Talk!’ 2018 – and winner of an award for her work to promote sexual and reproductive health among refugees and seasonal migrant workers in Turkey.

‘Let’s Talk’ host Natalia Vodianova speaks during one of the panel discussions.

‘We’re up against centuries-old cultural norms and taboos that are present globally. If you break the silence, norms start to shift. That’s why #LetsTalkAboutIt is so important,’ says Prof. Aditya Bharadwaj of the Graduate Institute, Geneva.

Anna Klepchukova of Flo, the period tracker app and UNFPA partner, talks about bringing stigma-free reproductive health information to millions of users, at ‘Let’s Talk’ Antalya.

Burak Çakmak, Dean of Parsons Fashion School, speaks about finding menstrual-hygiene solutions for women in humanitarian emergencies by challenging fashion students to design special underwear, in a joint project with UNFPA.

UNFPA’s Mariarosa Cutillo speaks about partnerships with the private sector to tackle taboos at ‘Let’s Talk!’ panel in Antalya: ‘Working with non-traditional partners allows us to reach people we wouldn’t be able to reach otherwise.’

‘We need to fight for safe spaces for young people to learn about their bodies and sexuality in countries where strong taboos make it impossible to talk about these things at all,’ Anmar Khalid of Y-PEER says at ‘Let’s Talk!’ panel.

‘If you’re not a virgin, your life is destroyed.’ Jeta Berisha speaks about the real-life impact of stigma and taboos in Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) at a Gurls Talk take-over at the ‘Let’s Talk!’ event in Antalya.