What is #ChallengeAccepted with the Black and White Photo
In short - it has to do with femicide in Turkey. Gender-based/women murders and crimes committed by Turkish men. (there has been as a resurgence use of the #ChallengeAccepted to raise awareness various issues and causes (and what I’ve shared tying specifically to Turkey) which has been brought to light by NY Times reporter Taylor Lorenz)
If you’re a social media user, particularly on Instagram, you may have seen or even participated in posting a black and white photo and incorporating #ChallengeAccepted and #WomenEmpoweringWomen and or #WomenSupportingWomen into your caption/message. I even witnessed some users say that they didn’t even know what this whole movement or challenge was about but, they would just post for the sake of doing so. Although embraced by many, the act of participating was criticized as being “performative activism” - and many called for these posts to include ways to help women in need, donate to women-led/women based charities, and continue to support women of color/marginalized communities.
Now in general, I am always flattered when I am tagged or nominated by someone to take part in something. I 100% believe that we should always uplift each other, and spread the message (but also live out) of being a supportive community of women. For some reason, this “challenge” felt off, so I waited to see if any news would pop up about it. I did some surface level searches on google to see if I could find anything, and only just found publications sharing how celebrities were taking part in this social media trend, with some speculation of where the movement could have originated from. Sure enough, a blogger that I follow - Jyo Shankar passed on a post by philanthropist Zeycan Rochelle who explained the significance of the challenge being tied to Femicide in Turkey, and that also led me to find more info from the American University Turkish Cultural Club.
There has been a rise in the brutal killings of women in Turkey; with 474 gender-based murders in 2019 (a 200% rise since 2013, and 440 in 2018). Due to Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns, the death rate is expected to increase significantly for 2020.
The known murderers (tied to domestic abuse/violence) do not receive deserved sentences as they claim that they acted on an impulse, for religious reasons or that it was an honor killing. These men therefore receive lesser sentences, and this further legitimizes and normalizes violence against women.
This is obviously a deeply rooted, cultural - governmental - societal issue and Rochelle even mentions that “we must redefine masculinity and how it’s viewed. We must begin to educate our sons and make no differences to our daughters and mothers. It’s not an easy road but the more educated we become on the issues, the more our empathy can change society around us.”
The Turkish government is looking to abolish the Istanbul Convention (The Council of Europe Convention) - a treaty that protect women from domestic violence as it outlines offenses of violence against women and calls for the obligation to “fully address it in all its forms and to take measures to prevent violence against women, protect its victims and prosecute the perpetrators.”
The Turkish women are outraged by this news, and within this week alone with the publicity of new victims - more specifically the murder of 27 year old Pinar Gültekin, everyone has had enough and aside from already protesting (which has been met with police brutality) wanted to also show their solidarity by posting the black and white photos of themselves.
The black and white photo actually holds much significance and isn’t an excuse to post a selfie. Turkish people are inundated with black and white photos of victims every day, whether on social media, in newspapers or other media forms. This “challenge” started as a way for women to be able to stand up and speak out against the atrocities the women of their country face - be in solidarity with the women that are gone and making a point that it could be their black and white photo that is one day all over news outlets.
What Can You Do?
If you posted a black and white photo with #ChallengeAccepted, consider editing your caption to include the origins of this movement, as well as sharing info (and call to actions) like the above IG posts I shared, onto your feed or stories.
Because a vast majority of Turkish news and media if controlled by their government, be sure to follow organizations like the American University Turkish Cultural Club as they deliver information and call to actions.
Support & follow the We Will Stop Women Murders Platform / Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu! It’s easiest for me to view their website and ways that I can help from a desktop so that I can translate the text to English (unless you have that ability on your phone).
Sign this Petition for the Turkish Government to continue implementing the Istanbul Convention.
I also wanted to share this art installation by Turkish artist Vahit Tuna, in which he installed 440 pairs of shoes onto the sides of a building in Istanbul to signify the 440 women that were murdered in 2018. More on this piece “Untitled”in this CCIQ Press interview and Yanköşe. Photos by Flufoto:
