Turkish state must abide by the agreements and laws that protect women

The administrator in Women's Body of Afrin region said the "Condemnation and denunciation are not sufficient to solve women's issues in the occupied territories. Rather, pressure must be made by legal means and the Turkish state must be held accountable for its failure to adhere to agreements and laws that provide for the protection of women.

8 September, 2020 05:15

AL-SHAHBA, LINDA SHEIKH

The Turkish fascist state continues to commit the most horrific acts against women in the areas it occupies and northern Kurdistan, as it aims with these violations to break the will of women in various ways (physical and psychological), and to use policies that aim to undermine the will of women.

Regarding the violations committed by the mercenaries of the Turkish occupation against women in Afrin and in Turkey, our agency correspondent conducted a meeting with the head of the Women’s Body of Afrin region Zelukh Rashid.

Zelukh Rashid at the beginning of her speech touched upon the policy pursued by the Turkish state to increase violations of the rights of women in Turkey and Afrin in particular, and said: “Turkish policy is not new, as the Turkish state has been trying since ancient times with all means of oppression and annihilation of neighboring peoples who coexist together on one land, so we find the state. The Turkish government pursues these repressive policies and undermines freedoms, and thus targets women, because it knows very well that the will of women is the will of society and the freedom of women is part of the freedom of society, so we see that the frequency of violence, killing and all violations of women’s rights has increased.

"The fascist Turkish state knows that Kurdish women reject submissiveness and slavery," Zelukh added. "Women are now well-acquainted with themselves and demanding their freedom and rights, so we notice that they are being targeted, especially by the AKP government."

She added, "Northern Kurdistan witnesses many cases of murder and violence against women on a daily basis, such as rape and sexual harassment, even in public places, as this phenomenon has become natural for Turkish society."

Regarding the role of humanitarian and international organizations regarding the violations Turkey is pursuing, Zelukh said, "Unfortunately, humanitarian and human rights organizations are satisfied with only timid condemnation or denunciations, and this does not help in such cases, so it is necessary to press legal means and hold the Turkish state accountable and oblige it to agreements and laws that protect women."

Zelukh Rashid concluded her speech by saying that these organizations are partners with the Turkish authorities regarding violence and crimes committed against women in the areas under Turkish occupation.

T/S

ANHA