Kurdish women, who have left their mark on the 21st century with their struggle in both social and military fields, are making “another life” possible with PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan's “women's libertarian, democratic and ecological” paradigm against the capitalist masculine system. One of the centers where the alternative new life model is being built under the leadership of Kurdish women is the Mexmûr Camp in the Federated Kurdistan Region. 

 

Women in the Kurdistan Democratic Party-controlled (KDP) Mexmûr Refugee Camp, which was established by the United Nations (UN) in 1998, undertake important tasks against the male-dominated mentality, the attacks of Turkey-Iraq, the embargo of the KDP and the difficulties of life. Organized with a “women's libertarian, democratic and ecological” paradigm against all oppression and attacks, women are strengthening their social status by being at the forefront of the struggle. Founded in 2003, women organized under the umbrella of the Ishtar Assembly take part in every field from neighborhood communes to popular assemblies, from municipal administration to camp security, and both receive and provide training on gender awareness with the academy they have established. 

 

Co-spokesperson and instructor of Mexmûr Şehid Koçeri Preparatory School Hêlîn Kara spoke about their struggle on the occasion of November 25th, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. 

 

ORGANIZED WOMEN ARE TARGETED 

 

Stating that women who are organized and pioneers in society are always the target of the dominant mentality, Hêlîn Kara said that women from Mexmur are taking part in life with the paradigm of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan. “Violence against women cannot be accepted as ‘fate’. Violence exists and is felt in every woman's life. Social violence affects women's spheres of life the most. Especially women who want to have a say in society face this situation the most. Here, women lead the society based on the paradigm of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan and live according to his moral and cultural reality. We are fighting on this basis,” Hêlîn Kara said.

 

DEMOCRATIC NATION PARADIGM 

 

Expressing that gender equality can be achieved through the democratic nation paradigm, Hêlîn Kara said that there is a struggle on this basis in the camp. Pointing out that the democratic nation paradigm gives direction to the ideology of women's liberation. “The ideology of liberation answers the questions of how a woman can live free and how society can be free. How can a life in accordance with the culture, morality and reality of women emerge? We continue our work towards this goal. This struggle we are waging strengthens the fight against violence against women and weakens violence. If the principles and criteria of a democratic nation are met, men cannot use violence and women cannot be humiliated in society,” she said.  

 

Hêlîn Kara said that women have the power to transform society and underlined the need for a common struggle for this. Hêlîn Kara continued as follows: “If women build their lives on the basis of their principles, they will bring about a serious change in men as well. The man will realize that the violence he inflicts on women is weakness and against human nature and morality. If the man reaches this realization, there will be no such thing as violence. Of course, there must be a struggle not only against physical violence but also against psychological violence. A common line of struggle must be established and this struggle must be expanded. If this is achieved, the democratic nation model will also become vital.” 

 

Women should take this paradigm as a basis against the capitalist system that presents them as an object Helîn Kara underlined and added: “In the capitalist system, a woman is an object. In this system, a woman can play a role as an individual but not with her identity. In democratic life, on the other hand, women participate in life according to their own truth. For this reason, it is not possible to say that women have a will in the capitalist system. Because the capitalist system is built on the foundations of the sovereign and the subjugated. Therefore, the solution to the problems faced by society, nature and living beings is the democratic nation paradigm.”

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut