Van — In recent years, North Kurdistan and major cities in Turkey have witnessed a noticeable rise in drug use, the spread of prostitution, and the carrying of individual firearms. This has prompted the launch of social initiatives to confront these phenomena, most notably the “Be Aware Platform” (Şiyar Be Platform), which seeks—through activities, events, and field visits—to raise youth awareness of the dangers surrounding them.

Despite security obstacles, the Şiyar Be Platform in the city of Van officially announced its establishment on December 6 through a public statement. The platform’s spokesperson in Van, Rokan Kılıç, explained that the escalation of drug abuse, prostitution, and the spread of individual weapons is the result of accumulated social and economic factors.

“Be Aware”: A Platform Confronting Drugs and Prostitution

At the outset of her remarks, Rokan Kılıç said, “We met with civil society organizations in the city and launched this platform, then immediately began our activities,” noting that the platform’s goal is to confront these challenges through collective action and continuous awareness-raising.

She explained that North Kurdistan is experiencing two types of wars: one military, and another with moral, political, social, and environmental dimensions, stressing that both are intertwined and deeply affect people’s lives.

She affirmed that Turkey experiences a new crisis every year, saying, “Turkey has turned into a country of crises. This government governs Turkey and North Kurdistan by manufacturing crises. Over the past ten years, drugs, prostitution, and militarization have become intertwined. In the past, such phenomena were unknown in our regions, but today, when you walk through neighborhoods and streets, you see that youth reject the presence of drugs—yet drugs and prostitution are indeed widespread.”

She stressed the urgent need to establish the “Be Aware Platform,” saying, “During our meetings with shop owners, they emphasized that these streets were meant for culture and art, but they are no longer able to carry out their activities there due to the spread of drugs, accompanied by prostitution and special warfare.”

“Be Aware”: A Call to Protect Youth from Special Warfare

Regarding the stance of the Turkish authorities on the platform’s announcement, Rokan Kılıç said it had become clear that they do not welcome such activities. “When we went to deliver our statement to the press, we faced strict security measures. The police prevented us from proceeding and said, ‘We will not allow you.’ They pointed to a banner reading ‘In Kurdistan, we will not allow drugs,’ and claimed they do not recognize this place. We responded: This place is Kurdistan—this is an identity. We do not accept the presence of drugs. You are employees—police and soldiers—and supposedly you also do not want drugs to spread, yet you are preventing us from expressing this.”

She added, “Despite these obstacles, after three to four hours, we managed to announce the establishment of the platform. Today, it is said that there is a peace process in Turkey, but special warfare is still ongoing. Therefore, this type of war must stop alongside the military war.”

She pointed to the negative transformations that have affected the lives of Kurdish youth in North Kurdistan and major Turkish cities: “Twenty years ago, people read books and had knowledge. Universities and streets were full of vitality, and women and youth played a prominent role in society. After the spread of drugs, politics receded from the lives of women and youth. The AKP government pushes youth toward ignorance and distances them from politics, while women are meant to remain at home. Then the space is left open for drugs, prostitution, and other practices that weaken society and dismantle its structure.”

She noted, “By spreading drugs and prostitution in the streets, that vitality was destroyed. In the past, drugs were not even known by name in Van.”

Rokan Kılıç stressed the seriousness of the issue: “Despite the presence of cameras, security measures, and imposed policies, there are eight thousand drug users in North Kurdistan. This means the way is being opened for this phenomenon. Youth are asked to withdraw and forget their national identity, their language, and all their foundations. Since the beginning of special warfare here, society has begun to feel that women and youth stand helpless in the face of social challenges and problems.”

No Policies to Eliminate Drugs and Prostitution

Rokan Kılıç believes the current situation reflects a deep crisis. “In the past, our youth went to major universities, read books, participated in activities, and formed a fundamental support in confronting social challenges alongside women. Today, youth have withdrawn from universities and the labor market, no longer engaging in any activity. If this vacuum continues, weak generations will emerge and social values will disintegrate.”

She explained, “Through the Be Aware Platform, we seek to confront these negative phenomena and remove them from society. However, in the face of drugs and prostitution, there is no serious stance from the government. When we announced the platform’s establishment, we faced heavy security deployment—around two thousand police officers with armored vehicles and means of repression—preventing us for four hours from delivering our statement. This clearly shows that the authorities do not want these destructive phenomena to disappear from society.”

On the methods of what she described as “special warfare,” she said: “This war is practiced through media and TV series, where the soldier is portrayed as someone who comes to liberate and save a woman, while in reality he is part of the special warfare policy.” She added, “The goal is to penetrate society, especially among the youth of North Kurdistan and major Turkish cities. They say, ‘If we cannot subdue you through military war, we will destroy you through special warfare.’”

She continued, “We say we must rise up against this war and be aware. Wars and displacement have caused society to live in a constant state of uprooting, and with this displacement, society has internally fragmented. The government has brought special warfare into our lives; everyone has become preoccupied with their own problems. The displaced were left alone, and their children fell into the grip of drugs and prostitution.”

She stressed, “We must protect our neighborhoods, villages, and cities, and not accept these hostile policies. This war is being waged against us, against civil society organizations, detainees, and political parties. We say: it is time to rise. To this day, our youth have been killed, and through special warfare, their future has been destroyed.”

In concluding her remarks, Rokan Kılıç outlined the action plan of the Be Aware Platform: “We will continue our field activities. We will be present in streets, neighborhoods, villages, mosques, and churches to say clearly: ‘This is drugs, and this is prostitution.’ Our goal is to protect our youth from falling into the trap of these scourges and from carrying individual weapons.”

She emphasized that confronting special warfare cannot be achieved through one platform or civil society organizations alone. “There must be a comprehensive confrontation involving the government, parliament, bureaucracy, and all decision-makers. We must all unite to stop this special war imposed on North Kurdistan and Turkey.