Dear women,
Attached we share with you the declaration of the umbrella organisation of the Kurdish Women’s Liberation Movement on the occassion of November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Let’s meet on the streets and squares, all over the world, and smash patriarchy!
Jin Jiyan Azadî – Woman Life Freedom
Kurdish Women’s Relations Office (REPAK)
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
As we welcome 25 November, we see that the fight against violence against women is growing like never before in history. All over the world, women are joining the ranks of resistance to put an end to male violence. From Kurdistan to Afghanistan, from Egypt to Peru, from England to Ethiopia, from the USA to Australia, millions of women of all ages, colours and nationalities are in revolt against the patriarchal system. We salute all our organized structures from all four parts of Kurdistan and abroad that participated in the “Time to Defend Free Women and Society” movement that we started as KJK. Just like how some parts of Rojava, where a strong women’s revolution and resistance exists, were handed over to the fascist Turkish state in 2018 and 2019, Afghanistan was also remorselessly handed over to the Taliban, and we salute our Afghan sisters who fearlessly resist the occupation by the Taliban. Solidarity with the women’s, cross-border self-defence struggle against male violence! Solidarity with the 21st century women’s revolution movement, which leads the struggle for freedom and democracy against all kinds of exploitation, occupation, and fascism! As we approach the 25th of November, the Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which resonates all over the world, we commemorate all women who have resisted, whose memories illuminate our path and whose lives were ended as a result of male-state violence. From YPJ Commander Sosin Bîrhat to Filipino guerrilla commander Ella, from the Kurdish Deniz Poyraz to the Afghan women’s activist Frozan Safi, from the pregnant Polish Izabela to the British Sarah Everard. As we commemorate all the women who have fallen victim to the male-state violence, we repeat our promise of uninterrupted struggle in accordance with our slogans of Jin Jiyan Azadi and NiUnaMenos until we liberate life.
As the Kurdistan Women’s Freedom Movement, we also salute our leader Abdullah Öcalan, who was taken prisoner as a result of the despicable conspiracy of the global hegemon systems and resists absolute isolation for more than 22 years, and we condemn the NATO system of captivity and torture imposed on him. Our leader, Abdullah Ocalan, is the architect of the Kurdistan Women’s Freedom Revolution, which continues to inspire all women in the world today. The primary reason for Abdullah Ocalan’s unjust imprisonment and absolute isolation is his identity as the creator of the Kurdish Women’s Freedom Revolution, which continues to inspire all women around the world. That’s why, as the women’s movement, the destruction of the Imrali Isolation and torture system is our fundamental struggle, and we call on the women of the world to demolish the walls of the Imrali dungeon together.
To all women, comrades, sisters;
The male-dominated system is in a state of complete attack against the rising women’s resistance. Such a reckless, organized, and systematic attack on the existence, rights, will, struggle and consciousness of women should be counterattacked with dexterity. On the one hand, the patriarchal system is waging an offensive war aimed at eliminating all the successes of the women’s organized struggle against the triad of fascism, religion, and capitalism. On the other hand, we witness the brutal development of physical, sexual, and psychological violence against women, by men who benefit from being part of the system. As a result of war, conflict and migration, the number of women who are exposed to patriarchal-state violence continues to increase. The male-dominated system, which feels that its existence has been threatened for the first time in history, is looking for ways to destroy women’s consciousness, will and organization, and to condemn women and everything that is associated with womanhood to definite slavery.
Women are elevating the fight for freedom in the face of such a reality. Women organize against and resist the male-dominated system with great courage, assertiveness, hope and belief; all the structures and expressions associated with this system in the form of state, fascism, exploitation, capitalism, and power. Women are responding to the patriarchal system’s policies of reducing women by proliferating and universalizing their struggles, thus creating new waves of rebellion. The fight against male violence, sexual violence, femicide, and policies of controlling the female body is now being revitalised everywhere. Like the struggle of the Mirabal sisters, which gives meaning to November 25th, the women’s struggle shows the power to transcend borders through the butterfly effect. The spirit of the women’s revolution, which continues to spread from Rojava to around the world, has been emulated in Chile through the “It’s not my fault. You’re the rapist” stance, rippling in Afghanistan in the women’s self-defence slogan.
However, we can see that the struggle of women is not limited to women’s rights, but is increasingly leading the struggle for social freedom, democracy, justice and ecology. Social resistance is spear-headed by more women day-by-day. This exhibits the reality of the age we live in as an era of women’s freedom, as well as the reality of the increasing aggression of the masculine-capitalist system. The era of women’s revolution and women’s leadership is actively trying to be prevented by the male-dominated system.
Pioneers are targeted as a means of leaving the women’s struggle and social resistance without guidance. This is why revolutionary women from Kobanê to Pakistan, Colombia to the Philippines such as Sakine Cansiz, Leyla Agirî, Hevrîn Xelef and Zara Alvarez were systematically murdered and assassinated. Women who object to the system and rebel are thrown into dungeons and tortured, condemned to four walls and their voices are silenced. Hundreds of women are slaughtered by men every day for not giving in to slavery, thus carrying out a complete crime against women who claim free life. Every second we breathe, our fellow citizens are subject to sexual harassment and rape; violence against women is now prevalent at an epidemic level.
The patriarchal mentality and the attacks of its system against women, society and life are similar in some respects and different in others. As Kurdish women, we are faced with very intense policies of attack against the women’s self-organized system within our revolution. Turkish state fascism under the AKP-MHP regime is attacking the fundamental pillar of the revolution which is women leadership as a conspiracy to dismantle the whole revolution, which DAESH failed to do. The state is systematically slaughtering our pioneers by cooperating with assassins and aerial attacks. In addition to this the state imprisons our female politicians who are leading the fight against fascism as an attempt to break their will. The attempt to break the will of the women who lead the fight against fascism and lead the revolutionary movement is an effort to break the Kurdish society structure. The state aims to forcibly displace our people and take them away from their land in order to dehumanise Kurdistan and encourage the abandonment of the Kurdish lands. There are many examples of this; Rojava and the South of Kurdistan were invaded by the Turkish state and enslavement policies against Kurdish women were implemented, just like the Islamic State did against Yazidi women in Shengal.
As KJK, we respond to the corrupt policies of the fascist Turkish state and its collaborators by expanding our organization, increasing the struggle, and taking the resistance one step further. With our campaign: “Time to Defend Women’s Freedom and Society Against Femicide”, we weave the revolution with a resistance against femincidal attacks that will bring about the end of fascism, a misogynistic regime at its core. As KJK, we call on all Kurdish women to unite around our campaign and respond by taking part in the organized struggle against all kinds of patriarchal-state attacks. In particular, on the occasion of November 25th, we call on all Kurdish women to take a strong stand against the femincidal system and to increase the wave of resistance with effective organisation both in Kurdistan and abroad. Thus, with the approach of November 25th, we will further increase the efficiency and strength of our movement. Yet, our struggle as the Kurdistan Women’s Liberation Movement is not limited to this. We don’t just organize against oppression. We organize, fight, resist for freedom, for the liberation of life, for the women’s revolution all over the world!
Women who struggle for freedom.
The power of patriarchy derives from the system, and this power is spread and is manifested through capitalist modernity. So the struggle for freedom for us women should also be based on the mindset of freedom, the confederate system of women, democratic modernity as opposed to capitalist modernity. The level of resistance in the women’s movement in comparison to the level of attack by the patriarchal system is the main issue that needs to be addressed on the 25th of November 2021: How will we organize our struggle as women of the world from now on? We must start a new process of sharing our experiences, consciousness, perspectives, forms of struggle, dreams, and determination that we have.
As we are experiencing an era where fascism is more prevalent than ever, the possibility of strengthening a women’s revolution is also higher than ever. However this strengthening will not happen by itself, our current level of struggle as women’s movements is also not enough to counteract this fascism. What our struggle needs is a new outlet that will give great momentum to our struggle. This output should raise the worldwide organization of women’s struggle against patriarchy, colonialism, fascism, racism, and capitalism, both in consciousness and in action. This output should not only aim to establish relations and coordination between women’s struggles and movements in different regions. Rather, what needs to be focused on and established is a new system which the women’s movement will operate under. The women’s freedom struggle can overcome the male-dominated system only through its own ideologically and organizationally unique-autonomous system.
This is the essence of the women’s revolution. Our aim is not merely to weaken the male dominated system, our aim is to put an end to it. It’s the time for freedom! Dem Dema Azadîye! Therefore, we say that it is time to weave, organize and raise the revolutionary struggle of women all over the world!
The women’s system that will be established, which will organize the women’s revolution at a universal level, will be called the Democratic World Women’s confederation. We believe that the system that will be based on the optimal balance between narrow and universal, local and regional, issues can be successful in abolishing the male-dominated system everywhere, growing the defence mechanisms of successes of the women’s movement , developing new successes and thus building a free life! Women’s confederation, the name of the multi-democratic relations and alliances, is the 21st century’s most democratic relationship. Our belief is that this confederation may be an answer to the question of the alternative female system needed to transform the 21st century into an age of women’s freedom. As KJK, our call to all freedom-seeking women, organized structures, organizations, and movements around the world is a universal solution designed for the 21st-century. Let’s weave this system together and share the struggle to turn the 21st century into an age of women’s revolution! As women of the world, let’s stand together against all kinds of patriarchal attacks by building our democratic confederation! Through fighting the regime we will fight against the patriarchal mindset that perpetuates violence against women! Together we need to increase our organized struggle against all kinds of misogynistic policies aimed at usurping our successes achieved over decades! Let’s strengthen our defences in the face of attacks! We shall build a confederate system of women in the face of the 5,000-year-old patriarchal system! It is the age: the age for women, the age of revolution, the age of freedom!
24 November 2021
Komalên Jinên Kurdistan
Kurdistan Women’s Communities (KJK) Coordination