ŞAHLA MOHAMMADİ

News Center- The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the countries in the Middle East that keep attacking women and women’s rights. Iranian women living under the pressure of the regime, from economic life to social and education life, try to respond to the pressure against them by organizing themselves against the patriarchal mentality. Rezan Hamidi, a member of the Women’s Committee of the Komala Kurdistan's Organization of the Communist Party of Iran founded in 1969, spoke to NuJINHA about the organizational works of Iranian women and how they participate in social life, economic life, and politics in Eastern Kurdistan.

Speaking about how they organize themselves within the regime as anti-regime women, Rezan Hamidi noted that women carry out political activities in villages, towns, cities, and provinces despite the anti-women Iranian laws. “Since the foundation of the Komala, women have taken part in it. They are active at all levels, including military, political, and central phases,” she told us.

“The Iranian regime has become more aggressive”

Rezan Hamidi underlined that as the Women's Committee, they have been carrying out organizational works for many years in order to organize women, raise awareness and enable them to defend themselves despite the increasing pressures against them. Speaking about the formation of the Women’s Committee of the Komala Kurdistan's Organization of the Communist Party of Iran, she said, “We live in social realities in which women face problems and challenges before and after the formation of our committee.  The Iranian regime is concerned about and is afraid of our party. We can say that after the formation of our committee, the concern of the Iranian regime has become deepened and the Iranian regime has become more aggressive.”

The committee aims to raise awareness, increase women's participation in social life and support women to solve the problems faced by women, families, and society. “The Women’s Committee was formed to solve the social, cultural, and economic problems faced by women. We want to increase women’s participation in the revolution, increase their skills and raise their awareness,” Rezan Hamidi said.

Rural areas are impoverished

Emphasizing that rural areas of Iran, particularly Kurdish provinces, are deliberately impoverished, Rezan Hamidi continued to talk as follows:

“The Kurdish region is a very rich region with its surface and underground sources but the people living in this region are the poorest people in the country. This is a deliberate policy. The government does its best to deepen poverty and increase unemployment in the region instead of supporting the region. The situation of Kolbers obvious, they risk their lives to make both ends meet.”

Stating that the regime has turned many laws protecting and supporting women, Rezan Hamidi said, “If a woman has awareness, courage, and self-confidence, she has the power to change her family and society. For this reason, the regime tries to prevent women from making a change in society.”

They work with many women’s organizations and platforms

The Women’s Committee has carried out many works with women’s organizations and platforms not only in Iran but also in many countries. “The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic causes us to stop many of our works. But we keep working despite all the pressure. We live in the era of communication and we can carry out online activities to discuss our problems and their solutions. Despite the internet restrictions, we do our best to reach as many women as we can on the internet. We have held many online meetings with women’s organizations and platforms to share our experiences and to strengthen our solidarity,” Rezan Hamidi told us.

“The regime is afraid of women’s unity”

“Women in Iran and Eastern Kurdistan rise up against the anti-feminist/women's laws of the regime. Women are at the forefront of every social uprising. In 2022, women will keep being at the forefront and take part in organizing positions. 2022 will be the year of women to unite and strengthen themselves.”