Women in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority cities united on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, marked on 25 November.
Under the banner of ‘Jin Jiyan Azadî’ (Woman Life Freedom), women in Şanlıurfa (Riha), Mardin (Mêrdin), Hakkari (Colemêrg), Diyarbakır (Amed), Batman (Êlih), Siirt (Sêrt), Bingöl (Çewlîg), and Gaziantep (Dîlok) organised marches and events to raise their voices against the escalating violence targeting women in Turkey.
Protesters highlighted the alarming increase in violence against women and connected it to what they perceive as the government’s policies. In press statements and marches, women stressed the need to confront and challenge the deeply rooted issue, pointing out the link between systemic violence and the policies implemented by the government.
At a notable women’s march in Mardin, Ayşe Bozan from the Women’s Free Society Movement (TJA) revealed a startling statistic, stating, “Four out of every ten women face male violence, while the state often seems to defend the aggressors.” Bozan passionately asserted that women will persist in their fight against harassment, rape, and violence, pledging to expose any attacks against women and continue resisting.
Hümeyra Armut, the co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in Hakkari, emphasised the continued struggle of women in various domains against the dual threat of male and state violence. Armut critiqued government policies, stating, “Violence and harassment against women are becoming more widespread due to the policies of the government, which has repeatedly demonstrated its misogynistic tendencies through discourse and practices.”
Armut further criticised what she described as a policy of impunity, asserting that it reflects the government’s misogynistic approach. She pointed out that perpetrators of racist, religious, and sexist crimes against children and women often benefit from amnesty laws and unjust provocation discounts, fostering a culture of impunity. Armut condemned the recent acquittal of the murderers of an 11-year-old child in Hakkari, who tragically took her own life after experiencing sexual assault, denouncing it as a manifestation of an anti-social and impunity policy that endangers women and society.
In Batman, TJA activist Ruken Zeryam Işık echoed these sentiments, attributing attacks against women to the policies of the government. Işık stated, “The policy of impunity is a reflection of misogynistic policies”, underlining the urgent need for a systemic change to eradicate gender-based violence and discrimination.
