Meghan Bodette states that Turkey's Vision to Women is just like ISIS's

Women in the Afrin Canton, under the Autonomous Administration whose Executive Council was headed by a woman, enjoyed unprecedented rights where she organized herself societally and politically and joined associations and bodies of the Autonomous Administration on a wide range, in addition to forming feminist institutions and civil society associations the advocate women rights and issues.

But everything was changed upside-down since the Turkish Aggression on Afrin that was commenced on January 20th, 2018, and occupation by Turkish Occupation Forces of the city of Afrin on March 18th, 2018, that conduced to displacement and encampment of thousands of people towards the Shahba Canton, and those remained in the city and villages adjacent were open to horrific and savage practises at the hands of Turkish Occupation Forces and the affiliated mercenaries.

Women's share of such violations and practises was immeasurable, that led the American activist Meghan Bodette a George Town University graduate and researcher on the Syria's Kurdish feminist movement, to compile an overall file on the abduction cases that target women in Afrin at the hands of Turkish Occupation Forces and the affiliated mercenaries, on which ANHA made an interview with the activist in question.

Miss Meghan  Bodette, a very warm welcome to you at ANHA.

You have put Afrin on your agendas and compiled a full file on women abducted in Afrin by the Turkish Army and the affiliated mercenaries, what does such a file contain? We would like you to inform us on it's context, if pleased?

I have collected many reports on abduction cases and disappearances of women and girls in the occupied Afrin from local media outlets and human rights observers, totally, I have got 200 cases.  

Many women were abducted and released more than once, according to reports, 40% of those women were released, after their families were forced to pay ransoms to the Turkish Forces affiliated mercenaries, as for the remaining 60%, they are still uncounted for.

Conditions in which women in Afrin live are unbearable, they are being abducted, tortured, sexually abused in addition to other grave breaches against human rights. 

What made you compile such a file?

The initiative was just to draw attention to human rights abuses taking place in the occupied Afrin, the international community has never given mind to both Turkish Invasion and aggression, the constant reports adduce to the appalling atrocities.  

I just want to bring into light situation women suffer, due to unprecedented feminist gains and achievements reached by women regarding equality and freedom in Afrin prior to the Turkish Invasion, and shed light on what Turkey and the affiliated mercenaries are doing to impede progress made in the human rights arena and to put an end to violence against women

On what is your file based?

I depended on news websites and human rights activists, and from time to time, I was informed by some people on some cases of which they were full aware, I would like to encourage anyone aware of any event to contact me to register information in detail.

Have you been to Afrin prior to the Turkish Invasion 2018, or afterwards to be informed on IDP women, or have you got intention to do so, if not so far?

Regretfully no, up to date, I have never been to any area of North Eastern Syria, I wish to do that as soon as possible, to help document and raise awareness on human rights issues, and to show solidarity with people of the region that proceed to advocate for women, democracy and pluralism in spite of assaults by Turkish Occupation Forces.

Have you ever entrusted the file to any feminist or human rights related associations such as United Nations? Have you get any support ?

I shared all these information with different groups of the concerned parties of the international associations and in the United States, prior to that not many people were aware of that.

Regretfully, up to date the international procedures regarding the case are so little, latest report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry effective, but more was possible, the U.S. administration was well aware of the abduction related cases in Afrin, according to reports released lately by the Defence Department, nevertheless it was decided that no sanctions would be imposed on any Turkish – affiliated factions of the Syrian National Army.

Does the file contain reports on abduction cases or it covers all kinds of violations and breaches that being carried out in Afrin at the hands of the Turkish Occupation Forces and the affiliated mercenaries? If not, have you got the intention to compile an overall file to cover all violations in Afrin?

The file concentrates primarily on women and girls abduction and disappearance cases, it is impossible to document alone all crimes that being committed in Afrin, and I hope that more people work on these issues to document properly the whole picture there, to hold accountable all perpetrators of human rights violations.

Do you see any resemblance regarding feminist rights between Turkey and affiliates ? or even ISIS?

Yes, they are just like ISIS, Turkey and Syrian National Army believe that women are inferior to men, women in North Eastern Syria have organized themselves and set up associations and institutions and changed rules and laws to advocate for feminist rights and put end to violence and discrimination and it is for this that they are threatened, for this Hevrine Xelef was assassinated, the idea is to attack all women that advocate for feminist rights and political freedom. 

In the ISIS offensive on Shengal in August 2014, a feminist massacre was committed, if you had followed that by media outlets, have you ever prepared any file to document such crimes?

I have never documented any work to document ISIS atrocities, but I am admired of many works done by many bodies and individuals to document such crimes, and to do justice, but the most important step is to document all atrocities, and to put ISIS mercenaries on trial, on charge of genocide and war crimes and crimes against humanity that were all committed in Shengal and other places.    

Have you got any intention to document such crimes and massacres in other areas occupied by Turkey such as Sere Kaniye and Tal Abyad?

I am all eager to broaden my project to cover all arenas and cases in future, and again, I would like to encourage everyone has any piece of information on abduction or disappearance cases to contact and inform me.  

Finally, by doing so, by compiling such a file, what have you deduced? And, in your opinion, will this contribute to the compilation of other similar files regarding abducted women in the international arenas, to be returned to the families?

The most important point documented in this study is that interference by Turkey in Syria conduced to an immediate and systematic destruction of the feminist rights in Afrin, then in Sere Kaniye and Tal Abyad, and would be repeated if Turkey allowed to occupy more territories in Syria, all people, institutions and civil society associations concerned with equality between the two genders and the status quo of women to call for not to allow Turkey to advance more, and to retreat consequently from territories it occupies. 

There would be a need to an international pressure to retrieve such women to safety again, the U.S. and all the active parts that backed the Syrian opposition to call for a public demand to release all civil abductees in the occupied areas and returning them to their families after undergoing unbearable circumstances.

L.A.

ANHA