KJK launches "It's Women's Time" campaign, calls for participation

The Kurdistan Women's Community (KJK) announced the launch of a campaign, under the slogan "It's Women's Time," in anticipation of International Women's Day, which falls on March 8th each year.

In a statement released on Monday, the KJK explained that "this campaign is against the subjugation of women, their lack of status, their marginalization, the chaos of the law, and the special warfare policies waged by the enemies of women."

The statement added: "We adopt the leader Abdullah Ocalan's statement on the first anniversary of his call for peace and a democratic society on February 27th with great social and historic responsibility, and we pledge to carry out the mission of 'Leadership Force' entrusted to us by the leader Abdullah Ocalan, with distinction.

We entered March amid historic events. March 8th became a symbol of women's resistance for freedom, and the Newroz festival and resistance movement transformed into a beacon of freedom for all the oppressed, and for peoples and women in particular, represented by the Kurdish people.

March is the month of our martyrs who ignited the flame of freedom with their bodies and were immortalized in the pursuit of freedom through their unique resistance. On this occasion, and in the person of the martyrs of March 8th and Newroz, we commemorate all the martyrs of the revolution and democracy with the utmost respect, affection, and gratitude.

Throughout our 52-year history of struggle, and based on the issues of women's freedom and its resolution, we, as a women's movement, have made significant strides in the struggle to raise awareness of freedom through movements and campaigns. The concept of women's freedom, and the system of women's reconstruction and resistance, has transformed "Women, Life, Freedom" from a theoretical philosophy to encompass all aspects of life as a philosophy and a hope for the liberation of men.

With the historical, social and philosophical call of leader Abdullah Ocalan, the Manifesto of the Communal Society, we are on the threshold of a stage of enlightenment, birth and reconstruction. On the occasion of "International Working Women's Day, March 8th," we conclude our campaign with the slogan "We march towards the women's revolution with 'Women, Life, Freedom,'" and today we announce the launch of a strategic campaign for the freedom of peoples and women to achieve a permanent status."

The statement continued: "Our campaign, which we will launch under the slogan 'It’s Women's Time,' is a campaign against the enslavement of women, their lack of status, their marginalization, the chaos of the law, the special war policies waged by the enemy of women, and all forms of violence against them.

This campaign develops the philosophy of women's liberation, comradeship, and the Leader's system, guarantees the physical freedom of leader Abdullah Ocalan, creates the conditions for him to work and live freely, and removes obstacles to the implementation of democratic politics and the project of a democratic society. Based on peace and a democratic society, the physical freedom of leader Abdullah Ocalan will ignite a global struggle led by women."

 The statement added: "Women's bodies are used as weapons of war. Women are subjected to harassment, assault, and murder. Women struggle against discriminatory war policies based on gender, religion, and nationality. The philosophy of 'Women, Life, Freedom' protects itself, democracy, equality, and freedom. It is now time for women to make these values vibrant in society and acquire an organized identity."

It made clear: "For the past 200 years, the Kurds and Kurdistan have been divided through policies of assimilation, genocide, and international conspiracies. The Kurds are at the heart of World War III, and simultaneously, they are targets of war. We call upon all Kurdish women to bear their historical responsibility in building national unity, completing this stage with national unity, and achieving the status and reality of the Kurds and enshrining it in law. The time has come for women."

The statement also included: "In Rojava, thanks to protective force, women's organization, and their system based on equal representation and co-presidency, the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) have become the geopolitical and strategic platform for the women's revolution. They shine like a bright star against the darkness of ISIS and Hayet Tahrir al-Sham in Syria, Kurdistan, the Middle East, and the world. To guarantee equality between men and women in the basic law, women's right to free and equal participation in all aspects of life, and to solidify the status of the women's revolution, the time has come to protect Rojava, the women's revolution, and the Women's Protection Units. With the women's revolution in Rojava, the time has come for women."

The depth of war is inextricably linked to the depth of women's subjugation. The more women liberate themselves and transcend the enslaving relationships, lives, and rules imposed upon them by the patriarchal system, the more war, the culture of violence, and its system will disappear. Therefore, strengthening the women's peace movement and the unity of struggle will become integral to our campaign's strategy. In the face of violence and war directed against women and society, we declare: the time for peace and for women to defend themselves has come.

Our struggle also aims to overcome the existing crisis and the fundamental contradiction between women and men by transforming men according to the principles of democracy, freedom, and equality. On this basis, we call upon all freedom-loving men to join this campaign, following the path of women's liberation, and to build a democratic life, a free individual, and a new life.

The first historical society established by women was, under their leadership, a democratic, liberal, environmentally conscious, and peaceful communal society. Today, we face the task of modernizing the free and democratic society we have achieved in our history and redirecting the course of history in favor of women and all peoples. The communal organization, as a free and independent system based on self-governance and shared governance, offers a solution to the existing chaos and social crises. For this very reason, now is the time for women, and now is the time to build communal life.

Based on this foundation, we call upon all women to participate actively in this campaign, to organize themselves, and to bring the process initiated by leader Abdullah Ocalan to victory. At the same time, we call upon all democratic feminist institutions and movements, as well as those seeking freedom, to adopt our campaign and offer their support.

We congratulate all women who will express their pursuit of freedom in the squares and engage in activities from March 1st to March 8th, International Women's Day. We also commemorate with great respect, affection, and gratitude our great martyr Sema Yoga, who became a symbol in reviving the philosophy of women's freedom. Let us receive the legacy of the martyr Sema, which she left us through her great operation, and make it a bridge that extends from March 8th to March 21st, and let us work to convey the spirit of the "It's Women's Time" campaign to the spring of Nowruz.