Metrobus Becomes Woman's Shelter

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 21 March 2019)


                             Home is where the heart is.

A young woman living in a district in Thrace came to Istanbul 5 months
ago because she couldn't bear the beatings inflicted on her by her father.
Having no place to stay, the woman sought refuge on the 24-hour
Beylikdüzü-Soğutlüçeşme metrobus.  Occasionally, she stayed with
two new female friends.  When a bus driver informed police about
her she was taken to a women's shelter, but felt uncomfortable there.

Requesting that her face not be shown, the young woman told reporters
that "after my mother died I couldn't bear my father's beatings,
sometimes inflicted with a hose, on me and my sister.  I have two
brothers and went to their houses but that didn't work out because
their wives saw me as a burden.  So for 5 months I've been living on
the metrobus and other buses in Istanbul.  I met two women, one of
whom sells 'simit' (bagels) and she lets me wash my clothes at her
house.  The police took me to the police station once and were
sympathetic to my situation.  They brought me to a women's shelter
but it wasn't right for me.  The metrobus runs all night so I sleep
there. I'm just trying to protect myself."


The Istanbul metrobus runs from Beylikdüzü (far left) to 
Söğütlüçeşme (circled at right).