ABILITY Magazine's Interview: Safak Pavey

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Safak Pavey is a journalist, writer, activist, and politician.

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In 2011, after 15 years away in Switzerland,

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she returned to her native Turkey and was elected

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Deputy of the Istanbul Province

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and was appointed Deputy Chairperson of the

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Republican People's Party, or CHP.

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She is a leading voice on the world stage for many issues

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including Human Rights and inclusion for those with

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disabilities in politics as well as other leadership positions.

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During ABILITY magazine's visit to the United Nations

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we met with several delegates from across the world.

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Here is an excerpt from our conversation

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with Safak Pavey.

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I had a train accident in Zurich, where I was studying

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in Switzerland.

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And the train left with the doors open

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so, that is how it happened...

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"We'll be in touch. Any time email...

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Now that I won the elections, I'll be back."

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And that was... it can happen to any one.

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But afterwords, I met with the world of disability,

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and which actually increased my sensitivities

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and perspectives.

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It gave me a new perspective in life.

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Later on, I decided, I gave a struggle for myself

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to stand up again like everybody else.

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I've learned also falling is not a bad thing.

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Because then you learn how to stand up again.

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As a person who has fell several times

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or once in your life

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you know how to stand up again.

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So that experience has certainly helped me.

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Also to discover the world of disability

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where there is a lot of discrimination that happens

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from the society... interaction with the society

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you find yourself in.

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Be it physical to psychological challenges that you face.

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At every level... discrimination.

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So, I've decided to work for that as well...

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Later in my life when I was working with the United Nations

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and then I became the First Secretary to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

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One area that certainly I'm very much willing

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to work on is participation of disabled people

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in political and public life.

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Now, that I am a politician I see how very little that

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representation is across the world.

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As I get exposed to different Parliaments, local authorities,

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where ever we go... I sit on 3 different international

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committees as my Parliamentary work,

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so I see how very little is invested

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in disabled people to be politically participating

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in the decision making mechanisms.

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Committee on the Rights of Women

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again another Human Rights committee at the UN

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I think there should be many more involved in that as well

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because we can't resolve Women's Rights issues without

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looking at the other half of society.

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For instance, violence against women can not be resolved

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by teaching women their Rights or protecting them only

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because they will be going to the same reality.

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In my country, I find it that we teach, we help them

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to rebuild their life, teach them their Rights... try to empower

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them and they go back to the same household

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where the male member of that household is in the same way

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so they get exposed to even more violence

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knowing their Rights this time.

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So sometimes, we forget the other half.

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Not only those who are exposed to the violation of their Rights

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should be involved in programs and monitoring committees

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but the other half as well should be involved

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and other angles and perspectives

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only then can we resolve issues in their society.

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Not by isolating further.

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There's also another aspect... to the disability... the world

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doesn't want to face it, like in Syria right now...

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or any where that you spot a conflict or violent situation

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happening... with veterans coming back home

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suddenly realize that that conflict actually disabled people

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even more than the casualties that were lost.

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In humanitarian work, which I used to work for,

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with United Nations refugee agency.

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In a humanitarian emergency situation, or conflict situation

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be it a natural disaster or a human made disaster, like wars,

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we always used to calculate the result by saying 4 times

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the casualties equals how many people disabled by this war

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always think that from that war not only the casualties

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will be the negative outcome of that war.

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Learning our lessons from our mistakes, did not happen

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in human kind.

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That's why we're up for wars again. We are up for this.

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We pay a big price.

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I mean, a single person's life, full of a lot of challenges,

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opportunities, good things, bad things, but it's already quite a lot.

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And that's not enough for us!

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We need to create more mayhem in the world!

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Do we really need that?

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I don't think we do.

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Who ever is behind these war decisions...

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...who ever is behind changing public opinion,

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making it aggressive towards another nation,

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is guilty of stealing from our future...

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our next generation's future.

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Not only ours.

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Because, just like Nature Rights, looking at long term

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uh, short term gains and benefits out of cutting off

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Amazon. Yes, you will be filthy rich, but then you have made

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the next generation completely poor.

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So, just like causing a war...

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So, we have to be very careful in our steps when we are

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going over confident in our decisions.

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We just have to remember our personal pain....

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...our personal achievements sometimes...

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...how hard it is to make it.

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And try to settle for a smaller but long term.

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After building United Nations, we should try to respect

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this system as well, of states coming together...

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...trying to solve things by dialogue rather than

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launching wars on each other.

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So, I believe... yes, if you're a lazy person

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which is fine... which is okay, but then... stay at home

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and don't get involved with decision making

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because decision making needs patience and hard work.

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And war is for lazy people's choice.

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I believe.

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And it's fine for me to be lazy too, but just get involved

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in decision making then.

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Don't go for the short term decision.

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Peace always takes more work.

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And always takes more effort, more dialogue, and more

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screaming at each other, but still trying to find

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a way to listen to each other as well.

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And that's only possible by talking.

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That's the only thing we human kind have.

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So, as a talent.

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I think, be it serious different issues, related to conflict

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resolution, we can do it, if we really are persistent

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and consistent with our aim.

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What do you want to do?

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Go for the easy way?

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Or go for the difficult but much more durable way?

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Which is peace.