A conference entitled “Fight against Sexism”, organised by the Kurdish Women’s Movement in France (TJK-F), was held in Paris on Sunday ahead of 8 March International Women’s Day, drawing substantial interest for its dedication to those who have been at the forefront of the struggle for the women’s liberation movement.
The conference paid special tribute to Evîn Goyî, a Kurdish women’s rights activist who was killed in an armed attack on a Kurdish cultural centre in Paris in 2022.
The event was divided into three sections, beginning with an in-depth analysis of sexism, tracing its historical roots and societal impact. This foundational discussion paved the way for a more focused examination of contemporary manifestations of sexism in various spheres, including the social, the political and the economic. Conversations explored the development of gender identities in sexist societies and their relationship to social ethics.
The conference also explored the concept of free coexistence against sexism and presented strategies to effectively combat sexism. A key theme throughout the discussions was the principle that women’s liberation is essential for social liberation, a philosophy strongly advocated by Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The conference emphasised the crucial role of Jineology (a form of feminism and women’s liberation ideology advocated by Öcalan) in achieving this liberation and urged women to organise under its banner for a unified and collective struggle against the patriarchal nation-state system.
In the closing session, which allowed for questions from participants the conference resolutions, highlighting several key points. These included the importance of integrating a free women’s perspective and the ideology of women’s liberation in all initiatives. The conference also emphasised the value of the co-presidency system and the inseparability of women’s freedom and social liberation.
Additionally, the resolutions called for cultural and artistic activities to promote women’s aesthetics and encouraged the involvement of men in the transformative process.
The Fight Against Sexism Conference thus advocated a radical and active approach to combating sexism and emphasised the need for broad social participation in this struggle. It underlined the central role of women’s freedom in the broader context of social transformation and provided a compelling call to action for all those involved in the fight against sexism.
