MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

News Center- Women in Northern Kurdistan have announced their programs to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, November 25. For a week, the women will issue press statements, commemorate victims of violence and march to protest the recent increase in violence against women, femicide, and prostitution, which has become common in the region.

“We will continue to struggle against dirty policies”

Gülizar İpek, a member of the Mardin Şahmaran Women’s Platform, told us that they, as women of Mardin, will take to the streets on November 25 with the motto, “Now it's time for women's freedom”. “We will carry out awareness-raising events against the dirty war policies and that they aim to reach all women living in the city,” Gülizar İpek said, “As you know, the system has recently used all forms of dirty methods to end women’s struggle in the region. We, as women, will continue to struggle against these dirty policies to defend our rights. We will struggle more to build an equal and democratic life against the dirty policies of the male-dominated system.”

“We will take to the streets with the spirit of women like Sevê”

Zozan Aksu, an activist of the Free Women’s Movement (TJA) stated that they will take to the streets to protest violence against women with the spirit of women like Sevê, Fatma, and Pakize (Kurdish women politicians Sêvê Demir, Pakize Nayır, and Fatma Uyar, who were murdered on 4 January 2016). “We are going through a process in which we have faced special policies aiming to alienate our young people from their culture by forming the culture of harassment, rape, prostitution, and drugs in Kurdistan, particularly in Botan. Currently, the people of Turkey, particularly the people of Kurdistan have been isolated. This situation reminds us that we should resist even more. We should join forces to break this isolation and to protect our culture, society, women, and children.”

“We will empower the women’s struggle”

 Fatma Ablay, the co-chair of the Batman branch of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), spoke to NuJINHA about their program to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. “We aim to hold meetings in villages and districts against patriarchal violence,” Fatma Ablay said, “We, as the women of Batman, will take the streets to end the male-dominated system. While violence, harassment, abuse, and massacres against women continue systematically, people have faced economic pressure imposed by war policies. We will continue to hold meetings in villages and districts not only on November 25 but also for 365 days. We will keep defending women’s rights.”

Zülfiye Kişmir, an activist of the Free Women’s Movement (TJA), called on women to be the voice of women against violence and femicide wherever they are. “We call on the women of Amed (Diyarbakır) will take to the streets.”