Statement for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Statement to public opinion

On behalf of Kongra Star and ahead of the occasion of 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we start by recalling the three Mirabel sisters assassinated by dictator Rafael Trujillo because they objected to his tyrannical regime. We recall all the martyrs who charted the map of freedom with their own blood and became the symbols of resistance against the reactionary authoritarian mentalities which are based on breaking the will of women and denying their identity. We recall the women martyrs such as Zilan, Beritan, Sakine and Barin.

Throughout history and until today, the patriarchal mentality has not only enslaved women, but also marginalized them and excluded them from most spheres of life. In fact, the entire society has been excluded and turned into a tool that serves to fulfil the ambitions and strengthen the authority of those who are in power. The Syrian war represents a culmination of violence against women and society that reached its limits, especially in recent years. The war broke out due to nationalism and sectarianism and it brought lot of suffering, while the Syrian society have witnessed all kinds of violence from killing and destruction till displacement and migration. Of course, the biggest burden of this war was put on women shoulders, the toll on them was particularly brutal, and all of this while still having to face obsolete customs and traditions that have restrained their freedom for thousands of years.

The Syrian woman have suffered a lot from the ISIS terrorist organization, which brought the return of the age of slavery, but it was also Syrian women who didn’t gave up but have fought and organized themselves. They developed themselves through political and economic education but also in the field of self-defense. The Women’s Defense Units (YPJ) have played enormous role in the expulsion of the nightmare called ISIS from the territory of northern Syria and reduced the danger that it poses to the whole world, liberating alongside thousands of children and women from the grip of terrorist supporters and complices. A good example of women who impersonates this struggle is the martyr Arin Mirkan. Her deeds had a great impact on the people all over the world and the 21st century is already being marked by the strong personalities of women who resist, such an as her. In that same way in which the action of Arin Mirkan caused that the voice of the Kobani resistance reached to the conscience of the world, the heroic guerrilla action of Avesta Xabur created fear and terror in the hearts of the murderer Erdogan and his mercenary allies, responsible for the killing and forced displacement of thousands of Afrin’s residents who until now are obliged to stay in refugee camps, suffering poor living conditions. And while the international public opinion remains silent, those who have stayed in the Afrin province are on daily basis exposed to various types of physical, psychological and sexual violence. The aim is to annihilate the project of the democratic nation (based on developing a free women and a democratic society found on justice and equality). We as Kongra Star consider all these immoral and inhuman practices as violence itself. If we want to address the issue of violence, we must reduce all these aspects that bring woes upon societies, while serving the ruling forces to fulfil their ambitions. We must get the international community to open its eyes in front of these massacres and crimes against humanity and put an end to violence against women and society.

We call all women in the world to organize themselves and intensify the struggle to liberate themselves and their societies from the grip of slavery imposed by patriarchal mentalities and to take a firm stand against any aggression or occupation that threatens our territories. With the will of woman, we can smash occupation.

15.11.2018

Coordination of Konga Star in Rojava/Democratic Federation of Northern Syria