09 March 2026 Monday
Asst. Prof. Dr. Seyra Kestel Delivered a Speech at the International Women’s Day Panel
“The International Women’s Day Panel: Ecology, Violence, Employment”, organized by the Gender Studies Application and Research Center of Istanbul Gelisim University, was held on Monday, March 9, 2026, at the K Block Firnas Auditorium. The panel, which took place between 13:00 and 15:00, addressed important topics such as gender equality, women’s labor, ecological struggles, and violence against women. The event, which attracted great interest from academics and students, brought together speakers from different disciplines who evaluated the challenges women face in social life and working life from a multidimensional perspective.
Within the scope of the panel, Dr. Seyra Kestel, a faculty member of the Advertising Department at Istanbul Gelisim University, delivered a comprehensive presentation focusing on the topic of “harassment and violence in the workplace.” In her presentation, Kestel defined the forms of psychological, verbal, and physical violence encountered in working life and drew attention especially to psychological harassment and mobbing, which often remain less visible. Explaining with examples how power relations, hierarchical structures, and gender roles in the workplace contribute to the emergence and continuation of violence, Kestel emphasized the negative effects of such situations on individuals’ psychological well-being and career development.
The presentation also highlighted that harassment and violence in the workplace should not be considered merely as an individual problem, but as an issue with institutional and social dimensions. Dr. Seyra Kestel emphasized the importance of employees being aware of their rights and the establishment of institutional mechanisms that can protect these rights, noting that awareness activities and training programs play a significant role in preventing violence. Providing participants with information about both legal and institutional reporting channels, Kestel stressed that institutions must take responsibility in order to create safe and equitable working environments. The event created an important platform for knowledge sharing that raised awareness about gender equality among students and academics.
