YPJ supports women resistance in India

The General Command of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) released a written statement today regarding the women's protests in India following the assault and murder of an Indian doctor on August 9th.

The statement reads as follows:

"The struggle of women for freedom, equality, and a dignified life is expanding across the globe. In contrast, the capitalist, male-dominated system attacks women with violence, rape, and genocide in an attempt to maintain its dominance.

Today in India, the culture of violence and assault has reached its peak. In response to the heinous crime committed in the Indian city of Kolkata, where a doctor was brutally assaulted and murdered, women and the Indian people have risen up, organizing mass protests and voicing their stance with the slogan 'Women, Life, Freedom.'

We in the Women's Protection Units condemn this horrific crime and call upon all women's organizations and movements to raise their voices against all forms of oppression, violence, abuse, and physical and mental repression against women. The perpetrators and assailants must be held accountable.

We in the Women's Protection Units have engaged in an unwavering struggle against the patriarchal system, represented by the mercenaries of ISIS and the mercenaries of the Turkish occupation state in the occupied areas, with their occupation, genocide, violations, and looting. Under ISIS control, women faced brutal violations, were sold as slaves in markets, and were deprived of all their rights. The great tragedy experienced by Yazidi women remains etched in the memory of humanity as a whole. We fought against these mercenaries with courage, determination, and strong organization. We resisted and triumphed over them, and we demonstrated immense resistance to liberate Yazidi, Christian, Kurdish, and Arab women from the brutality of ISIS mercenaries.

Today, the Turkish occupation state continues to target freedom-seeking women, leaders, and fighters in the units of North and East Syria with its air attacks. In the occupied areas, Turkish occupation soldiers and mercenaries commit sexual assault, kidnapping, and massacres against women on a daily basis. Undoubtedly, we are engaged in a multifaceted resistance against these attacks and heinous crimes, and we are strengthening our defensive forces.

We know well that the culture of dominance by the patriarchal system is a global system with an ancient history. Today, women are being attacked in India, activists are being executed in Iran, child marriages are being legalized in Iraq, and women in Afghanistan are deprived of all their human rights. Therefore, the resistance against this system must be global, multifaceted, and extremely strong. All struggling women, organizations, and social institutions, in other words, society as a whole, must recognize this reality and stand against these attacks with one voice. The more organized a society is, the more capable it is of building its self-defense power. Undoubtedly, women need to protect themselves more than anyone else. This can be achieved through organization. An organized woman is one who can protect herself, all women, and society as a whole. Therefore, we women need to protect each other, stand together, and support each other. In this sense, we see the uprising of women and the people in India as highly valuable and meaningful. If this uprising transforms into a strong organization, it will be capable of putting an end to this oppressive ruling system.

There is no doubt that the philosophy of 'Women, Life, Freedom,' provided to us by Leader Abdullah Ocalan through hard work and struggle, has shown us the way to rid ourselves of the concept of the dominant and abusive male. We in the Women's Protection Units have adopted this philosophy as our foundation from the beginning of our struggle and fight for freedom. Over time, this philosophy has grown, and in the Jina Amini uprising, in the uprisings of women worldwide, and even today in the uprisings in India, this philosophy has transformed into a form of struggle and resonates everywhere. On this basis, the women's revolution is becoming global, and the time has come to build a democratic women's confederal system.

On this basis, we salute the great resistance of Indian women and express our support for them. In this sense, we call on the women of India and all women worldwide to continue their struggle in all forms, organize themselves with the freedom philosophy of Leader Abdullah Ocalan embodied in 'Women, Life, Freedom,' and build their defensive power.”

A-H

ANHA