Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Women's Assembly announced the final report of the “Women's Meetings against the Special War” workshops it has been conducting for 3 months. DBP Co-Chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar, DBP Women's Assembly Spokesperson Berivan Bahçeci, DBP Women's Central Executive Committee (MYK) members and Free Women's Movement (Tevgera Jinên Azad -TJA) activists participated in the statement held at the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Çewlîg (Bingöl) Provincial Organization building. The banners “Li hemberê şerê taybet em tekoşina xwe mezin dikin/ We increase our struggle against the special war” and “Jin, jiyan, azadî (Woman, life, freedom) against male-state violence” were hung in the hall where the statement was made.

 

DBP Women's Assembly Spokesperson Berivan Bahçeci read the report in Kurdish. 

 

'YOUTH ARE THE MAIN TARGET'

 

The report emphasized that poverty is at the center of the special war policies in Kurdistan, which were “insidiously” prepared until 2015, and then more openly manifested itself through methods such as prostitution, drugs, spying and forced migration. 

 

"The current fascist and monist regime designs a society in Kurdistan based on consumption instead of production, creating a dependent and trapped stucture under the control of the center. In this process, women and youth, who have been driven to despair, have been among the main targets of special war policies. The aim is to create a society without history, identitiy, memory, sturggle and ultimately without organization. Massacres, unsolverd murders, executions, martial law, state of emergency, detentions, arrests and torture are inhumane methods that the nation-state mind has perpetuated in Kurdistan. The system, which thought that it would make progress with all these, again saw the strongest resistance from Kurdistan. Determined to break this resistance, the state mind continues to develop new methods of warfare through the current government and its contra alliances."

 

3,200 WOMEN REACHED WITH 73 WORKSHOPS

 

In the report, it was noted that the special war policies and methods of struggle against these policies were discussed in the women's meetings, and it was emphasized that 73 workshops were held in 15 provinces with 17 participants in a three-month period. In the report, which stated that one-to-one contact was established with approximately 3,200 women, it was emphasized that the work was carried out in mother languages (Kurmancî, Kirmanckî) and that the first step in the struggle against the special war was to increase the number of mother language activities. 

 

DETERMINATIONS FROM THE WORKSHOPS

 

The special war methods that emerged in the workshops were listed in the report as follows: 

 

“* Making women dependent on men and male-state demands through poverty,

 

* Law enforcement forces distancing women from their identities and struggles through relationships established under the name of 'love'; blackmailing women with audio and video recordings in this process,

 

* In universities, young women are forced into spying and emotional affairs, and if they refuse to cooperate, their studies are blocked or their families are threatened,

 

* Impunity of perpetrators in cases of harassment and rape of women by village guards and law enforcement forces,

 

* The easy circulation of drugs in Kurdistan, with the age of carrier being as low as 7 and the age of use as low as 12-13; no measures are taken against this, on the contrary, it is encouraged,

 

* Officials assigned to Kurdistan, especially imams, carry out assimilation policies under the name of religion,

 

* The special popularization of prostitution in Kurdistan and the forcing of Kurdish women into it,

 

* Women who are impoverished and pushed into forced unions are driven to suicide by a sense of helplessness,

 

* Arbitrary detentions and arrests, especially of young people, forcing them to migrate and uprooting them from their geographies,

 

* Economic backwardness of the region, failure to create jobs and employment opportunities, and as a result, being forced into situations such as membership of ruling parties or denial of identity,

 

* Attempts to neutralize Kurdish women's struggle for equality and freedom through feudal mentalities, sects and communities,

 

* Threatening families with their children, distancing women from organized struggle, their identity, language and demands for rights, destroying the ecological and historical values of the region...”

 

The report emphasized that the implementation of special warfare policies is followed by political, economic and sociological objectives and stated: “The main purpose of these strategies is to prevent the construction of a democratic nation, which is an alternative to capitalist modernity, by keeping the social and political structure under control on a sexist, nationalist and religious axis. These policies aim to weaken collective identity and solidarity by creating divisions in society.” 

 

THE AIM OF SPECIAL WAR POLICIES

 

 

The aims of the implementation of special war policies are listed as follows in the report: 

 

“* Weakening Social Solidarity: In order to weaken solidarity among peoples and beliefs in Kurdistan, cultural, linguistic and religious divisions are fomented. The incitement of groups within society against each other weakens the capacity of the people to act together.

 

* Weakening Kurdish Identity: Kurdish identity and cultural values are systematically suppressed or assimilated. In this context, education, language and cultural policies are shaped by special war strategies.

 

* Increasing Economic Dependence: Making Kurdistan economically dependent on the central government weakens the economic power of the people and prevents the establishment of alternative economic structures. While this situation limits the capacity to act independently, it can be considered as a move to strengthen the control of the state. Increasingly impoverished people, with a sense of helplessness, are exposed to de-identifying policies such as prostitution, drugs and spying under the name of 'making money the easy way'.

 

* Psychological Operations and Propaganda: Using the media and other means, negative perceptions are created about the Kurdish movement and democratic political institutions, and society is demoralized and manipulated. This propaganda aims to reinforce the domination of the government by making the people feel powerless and alone.

 

Migration and Demographic Change: In some regions, policies of migration, changing the demographic structure and disrupting settlement patterns are implemented. This aims to weaken the Kurdish community's capacity for collective action and to sever social and political ties. 

 

*Elements of Violence and Repression: Military operations, detentions, arbitrary arrests and other forms of repression are methods used to break the resistance and silence the voice of the people. Such practices negatively affect daily life and violate the people's right to live in security and peace. 

 

*Promoting Ethnic and Secretarian Conflicts: Creating tension and promoting conflict between different ethnic and secretarian groups living in Kurdistan is an important part of special war strategies. This causes divisions within the Kurdish community and limits the potential for joint action."

 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

 

In the last part of the report, conclusions and recommendations are listed as follows: 

 

“* Expanding Social Solidarity Networks: The success of the women's movement comes from the power of solidarity networks. These networks can be expanded to meet the social and economic needs of women starting from the neighborhood scale. Solidarity networks that support women in basic issues such as health, education and legal support contribute to women's empowerment.

 

*Collective Projects to Strengthen Economic Independence: Women's economic independence plays a critical role in reducing social pressures and increasing their self-confidence. Through models suc as women's cooperatives and collective business initiatives, women can participate in production processes. These projects strengthen the local economy and provide women with income and economic independence. 

 

*Alternative Education Programs and Women's Academies: Alternative education programs should be developed to increase women's awareness and knowledge. Trainings can be organized on topics suc as women's rights, gender equality, history, language and cultural awareness. These trainings can reach both young women and adult women and increase gender awareness. 

 

*Effective Use of Media and Digital Platforms: It is important to raise collective awareness, especially in an envirenment where law enforcement agencies try to reach young women through social media under the guise of emotional relationships. Media and digital platforms can be used in an organized and planned manner to create content that warns young women against these dangers. These platforms increase the visibilitiy of the women's movement and publicize women's problems to a wider audience. 

 

* Gender Equality Education: Gender equality can be achieved with the participation of the whole society, not just women. Training programs can be organized in a way that appeals to people of all ages, both indigenous and mixed.

 

* Legal Support and Raising Awareness of Rights: Legal support networks and counseling services can be established for women to better defend their rights. These services can make women more aware and determined to protect their rights. In addition, structures such as a network of lawyers defending women's rights can increase the strength of the women's movement.

 

* Increasing Women's Participation in Politics: Increased participation of women in the political sphere is a major step in the defense of women's rights on a social scale. Organized women's struggle is the most promising force in the current situation and has the capacity to bring about social change. Therefore, it is important that women's organized struggle develops self-defense against special war policies. Although special war policies aim to remove women from organizational mechanisms, the organized power and will of women is the most effective means of defense against male domination.”

 

DETERMINATION TO DEVELOP SELF-DEFENSE

 

The report concludes with the following statements: “As we continued our work, it became public that most of the members of a gang that emerged in Colemêrg (Hakkari) and forced young women into prostitution and drugs were AKP administrators and law enforcement officers, and that families who exposed this situation were tried to be dissuaded from their complaints by prosecutors. Furthermore, the raid on the house of Rabia Önver, a free press worker who uncovered this truth, is an important example of the cooperation between the state, the judiciary and the military. The harassment of two women in Wan (Van) by specialized sergeants and a similar incident in Şirnex (Şırnak) have increased the determination of women to develop self-defense. For these reasons, as DBP Women's Assembly, we reiterate once again that we will continue our work against special war policies and that we will continue our struggle for the construction of a free society with organized women.”