In this interview, Sozdar Avesta, member of the Presidential Council of the KCK, spoke about the need for women to "strengthen their self-defense and become more conscious and organized."

The Third World War is gradually spreading in the Middle East. This war being waged follows the mentality of the dominant men and aims to turn the world into a hell. In this war, it is the women who are the most oppressed, but the world turns a blind eye to this. How does war affect women?

Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] spoke of the Third World War when the intervention in the Middle East in 1990/91 started. When the ruling powers wanted to spread the Third World War to the Middle East in general, they developed the international conspiracy against Rêber Apo in order to lift the obstacles in front of them. Of course, we are not strangers to this war; we are part of it, since it is also being waged against us.

War affects all societies. And as pointed out, it’s the mind of the dominant men that is waging this war. An ideological and political war is being waged against society, particularly women and their values. This war is being waged against anyone who opposes the mentality of the dominant men. As you mentioned, women, children, defenseless people, and society as a whole are in the greatest danger in this war and genocide. This reality is crucial and needs to be emphasized. The war in Gaza has been going on for more than a year, and it can be observed that most of the killed are women and children. In Kurdistan, we are experiencing the same. The Third World War is centered in Kurdistan. With the abduction of Rêber Apo, this war started against the Kurds. There is not a day without a massacre in Kurdistan.

The question must be, what kind of struggle should be waged to prevent the dirty mentality waging this war from achieving results? Our struggle is exemplary here. All women must strengthen their self-defense and become more conscious and organized. A woman who is not organized is doomed to a horrible life and death. As Rêber Apo had said in the past, if a woman is not organized and left to the mercy of men, she cannot survive. Women are being murdered every day. Not only in war, the real war against women takes place in society.

Women are also targeted in the war by tanks and artillery, but there is also a terror against women in society. The terror against women starts at home and reaches the state level. Women must organize strongly, unite, and take a common stance against these attacks. The women’s freedom movement is fighting under the leadership of PAJK, the KJK system, and YJA Star, its defense force. On this occasion, I would like to congratulate all freedom guerrillas and women on the 32nd anniversary of the founding of our women’s army, YJA Star, which has come to this day under the leadership of comrades like Beritan, Zilan, Azime, Zelal, Delal, Leyla, and Axin.

Today, the capitalist powers waging the Third World War are attacking societies with all their technologies. As a freedom movement, we stand against these sovereign powers and struggle for this. It is clear how women should defend themselves and how they should be united and organized. Women must develop their power and organization in every field, may it be in villages, factories, on the streets, in schools, or in all areas of life. If this does not happen, the consequences of war will be more severe. We can only stop this war started by the mentality of the dominant men with the power and struggle of women. Women must trust themselves. They can achieve success if they develop a common struggle. This is what needs to be emphasized the most. Because the male-dominated mind recognizes nothing but its own power. It does not recognize the will of women; it does not recognize their existence; it does not see them as equal. Only a common struggle against this can achieve results.

We see how women and children are brutally murdered in Turkey and around the world recently. Most recently, we heard about a gang in Turkey that deliberately abducted and murdered children. How can society save women and young people from this rotten system? What are the necessary ways and methods?

We are approaching November 25th, which marks the international day for the elimination of violence against women. November 25th went down in history as a day of massacre. The Mirabal sisters, three sisters from the Dominican Republic, were murdered because of their struggle for freedom and equality for women. We respectfully commemorate the Mirabal sisters and all women who were victims of the male mind. Kurdistan is also a place where countless revolutionary, struggling women have been massacred. Comrade Sakine, Leyla, Rojbin, Seve, Fatma, Pakize, Nagihan, Hevrin Xelef, Zehra, Mother Aqide, and thousands of women in society were murdered by the male-dominated mentality. We should not consider November 25 as just one day; the struggle for women’s freedom requires continuity. This struggle must be continued every day. As the Kurdish women’s freedom movement, every price we pay is a reason for us to increase our struggle even more. All women can and should make these massacres and attacks the basis for a new beginning and common struggle.

The murder of Narin, an eight-year-old child, is still being discussed, but the state, more precisely the government, the family, the sects, and Hizbul-Contra all conceal this murder. It is still unclear how Rojin, a student in Wan, was murdered. These massacres are happening every day in front of the eyes of the world. They stab women in the street, and people watch.

We always say that women should increase their struggle; of course, this is the right thing to do. The state, the power, and the male-dominated system are putting up everything against women’s freedom. Women’s freedom means freedom of society. No one has provided so many opportunities in this regard like Rêber Apo. His philosophy and ideology created a great breakthrough in women’s freedom. Attacks against women are ideological. They are attacks against women’s freedom.

The system commits all kinds of massacres against women in order to keep itself alive. The media does not cover this and instead creates a wrong perception in society. It kills society’s reflexes and normalizes what is going on. This is how this patriarchal system wants to create an empire of fear. I would like to take this opportunity to point out that especially democratic, revolutionary, and socialist men who are against the system have the biggest duty in this regard. A man who struggles against this system must first and foremost raise his voice against it. And he must correct his own approach towards women. So much is happening, so many things are developing, but nothing is being said about it. Except for the freedom movement, everyone is silent as if it were normal. However, the most fundamental question of socialism must be the approach to women.

If one does not defend free coexistence, if one does not defend the freedom of women, if one does not accept this, then how can this person call himself a socialist, a democrat, or an intellectual? Fascism is already doing its fascist thing; the government is already acting according to its mentality, but we are talking about other groups; there is a lack here. The people I refer to should read Rêber Apo. I take this opportunity to call on them, especially young men, to deepen the philosophy of Rêber Apo. He said, “I killed the masculinity in myself.” He even said that no man who does not kill masculinity in himself can establish the right comradeship with women and create a democratic family and a democratic society. Rêber did not say these things just for the sake of saying them. He stated that a society must be created on this basis.

November 25th should be a day of self-criticism for men. They must oppose this violence; they should build up hate against this masculinity and refuse it. They should correct themselves towards their wives, daughters, and sisters. Men are in a state of oblivion here. They put all the responsibility on the woman’s shoulders and say that the woman should change them. Of course, as the freedom movement, we see ourselves as responsible and we have such a duty. As PAJK and KJK, we provide education; we have a duty to change and transform society, but men also need to make efforts. Massacres, harassment, and rape against women destroy human values. Because women are the defenders of human values, attacks against women are attacks against life. Rêber Apo’s strength emerges here because he is a true comrade with women; he understands women. From the foundation of our movement until today, the gender struggle is fundamental to us. If this struggle is not waged on a daily basis, freedom cannot be achieved.

A strong gender struggle creates real comrades like comrade Rojger and Asya. To struggle for gender is to struggle for freedom. It should be struggled in this way in society as well. Our movement has a 50-year history of struggle. For example, in a place like Amed, the capital of democracy, women are massacred! Women are massacred in Wan (tr. Van) and Elih (tr. Batman) as well. There is not a day in southern Kurdistan when women are not massacred. Of course, this is not only happening in Kurdistan; this happens all over the world, from America to Africa, from Latin America to Europe. According to statistics, violence against women is most developed in Europe and is mostly experienced within the family. You know, they used to say that they are the center of democracy, but when we look, we see that women are not free. Women’s struggles must become more socialized.

The members of KJK and KCK should start with themselves and their families. They must first realize the paradigm of the free women developed by Rêber Apo in themselves. This is the right thing to do. You don’t just join in protests on March 8 or on November 25, and that’s it. This is not how it works. Rêber Apo said that a free woman is more valuable to him than a country. We struggle on the basis of this philosophy. On November 25th, of course, mass protests should be organized; people should take to the streets, but it should be based on how the whole society, men, should live with women. It should be based on how to be a true comrade, how to be a militant in the line of women’s liberation. Here, PKK and PAJK militants are exemplary. For example, comrade Rojger wrote in his letter that his action is also a self-criticism of his female comrades. What is more valuable than that? He tears himself to pieces and still gives self-criticism. Those who follow in the footsteps of these comrades and say that they work on the creation of a free society on the basis of this idea-philosophy must act according to this measure. What is the measure? One must consciously approach his family, his wife, his sister, and his female comrades. They should not dominate or bully women.

There are enough who call themselves democrats but constantly turn against women and tell them that they should know their place. As soon as a woman makes a mistake, there is immediately a heavy reaction, whereas with a man it is simply accepted. This is how fascist chief Erdoğan is when it comes to women. Out of nowhere, he withdrew from the Istanbul Convention, a law that defends women’s rights to the lowest extent. Every day he appears in the media and tells women that they should have so-and-so many children and that they should wear so-and-so. He threatens society every day. Women’s struggle against this is very important. But as I said, the groups I mentioned also have shortcomings in this sense.

For example, I salute the men of Kobane in this regard. For how many years now, men have been taking to the streets and participating actively in protests there on November 25th? Of course, like I said, it should not only be on November 25th. Wherever there is violence, the struggle must be strengthened, and they must not allow violence to happen. When they see violence against women on the street, when they see someone inflicting violence on their family, they should intervene and oppose those who immorally trade in women. They must organize and take a stand; this is what valor and bravery mean. In this sense, no one should play the blind, the deaf, and the mute monkeys. I believe that society can be based on the basis of women’s freedom, on the basis of free women and free men.

What makes the PKK so invincible is the women’s freedom movement; the essence of the PKK is the women’s freedom party. Rêber Apo said at the very beginning that the PKK must be a women’s party. The PKK is the party of women, the party of the Asyas, Rojgers, Rukens, Saras, Rojhats, and Erdals. My call to all women, to all those who oppose the male-dominated system: they should participate strongly and massively in the protests on November 25th and devote every day to this struggle. Women must strengthen their self-defense; they must not leave a single unorganized woman out there. An organized woman is the greatest power, and women’s defense can only be achieved through organization. They should provide whatever is necessary for the organization; they should raise awareness on the basis of Jineoloji. As the freedom movement, we struggle on this basis, and our struggle is for a free society, a democratic nation, and a democratic world. This is the most sacred thing in the century we live in.