Eradicating the mentality of rape will help peace, say women
Eradicating the mentality of rape will help peace, say women
The campaign has a slogan: ‘Let’s improve the struggle for freedom, let’s overcome the rape culture’. The campaign was founded by DÖKH (Democratic Free Woman Movement), and Sunday had a new boost with the march of thousands of women on Istanbul. The first action of DÖKH campaign had been on 15 May in Hakkari, where the state pressure is almost tangible.
BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) Co-Chair Gülten Kýþanak held a speech and stated that those who close their eyes on the rape of young girls in Siirt, those who exploit on the lives and labor of coal miners in Zonguldak, those dropping bombs on cross-border, those executing contrarian people in Iran have the same mentality with those who want to exploit bodies and labor of women.
Thousands of women carrying violet and yellow-red-green flags and pennons came together in Taksim to give a start to the campaign.
The banners were written in Kurdish and Turkish “Let’s create a democratic, free society, let’s overcome the rape culture.”, “End to cultural and political genocide.”, “No cyanide, no rocket”, “No war, no exploitation.” And “Our bodies, labor and identity belong to us.”
Besides thousands of women, BDP Co-Chair Gülten Kýþanak, Ýstanbul PM Sebahat Tuncel, BDP Provincial Co-Chair Çiðdem Kýlýçgün and Socialist Feminist Collective also participated in the act and gave support.
BDP Ýstanbul PM Sebahat Tuncel called women to support the campaign of DÖKH against the male-dominant mentality.
BDP Co-Chair Gülten Kýþanak stated that the rape culture has existed for 5 thousand years in human history and added; “Women met the rape culture 5 thousand years ago when they were enslaved, when their labor was exploited and when they were shut in houses. The male-dominant mentality has strengthened itself with new dominance profiles so far and reached the rape culture ultimate with imperialistic system. The mentality which extorts women labor and rapes their identities and bodies doesn’t differ from the mentality which leads to the death of 30 labors in Zonguldak. Five people opposing the regime were sentenced to death by Iranian regime which either pulls people toward itself or kills them. And what about system’s message to women? It shuts women in houses, attacks on their labor, identities and bodies; dominates and destroys them. The executions in Iran and the murder of 17 year-old Münevver Karabulut with saw are the results of the same male-dominant rape culture. Those raping young girls in Siirt have raped the land of Kurdistan regional government with war planes a few days ago. The mentality in Turkey is just the rape culture itself. This mentality is the abuse culture, dominance culture and seizure culture.”
Kýþanak stated that they will struggle and stand against those who insist on war and cruelty. She also recorded their strong struggle against all kinds of rape on the labor, identity and body of women and emphasized that they will perform their struggle in the strongest and organized way.
Translator: Berna Ozgencil
BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) Co-Chair Gülten Kýþanak held a speech and stated that those who close their eyes on the rape of young girls in Siirt, those who exploit on the lives and labor of coal miners in Zonguldak, those dropping bombs on cross-border, those executing contrarian people in Iran have the same mentality with those who want to exploit bodies and labor of women.
Thousands of women carrying violet and yellow-red-green flags and pennons came together in Taksim to give a start to the campaign.
The banners were written in Kurdish and Turkish “Let’s create a democratic, free society, let’s overcome the rape culture.”, “End to cultural and political genocide.”, “No cyanide, no rocket”, “No war, no exploitation.” And “Our bodies, labor and identity belong to us.”
Besides thousands of women, BDP Co-Chair Gülten Kýþanak, Ýstanbul PM Sebahat Tuncel, BDP Provincial Co-Chair Çiðdem Kýlýçgün and Socialist Feminist Collective also participated in the act and gave support.
BDP Ýstanbul PM Sebahat Tuncel called women to support the campaign of DÖKH against the male-dominant mentality.
BDP Co-Chair Gülten Kýþanak stated that the rape culture has existed for 5 thousand years in human history and added; “Women met the rape culture 5 thousand years ago when they were enslaved, when their labor was exploited and when they were shut in houses. The male-dominant mentality has strengthened itself with new dominance profiles so far and reached the rape culture ultimate with imperialistic system. The mentality which extorts women labor and rapes their identities and bodies doesn’t differ from the mentality which leads to the death of 30 labors in Zonguldak. Five people opposing the regime were sentenced to death by Iranian regime which either pulls people toward itself or kills them. And what about system’s message to women? It shuts women in houses, attacks on their labor, identities and bodies; dominates and destroys them. The executions in Iran and the murder of 17 year-old Münevver Karabulut with saw are the results of the same male-dominant rape culture. Those raping young girls in Siirt have raped the land of Kurdistan regional government with war planes a few days ago. The mentality in Turkey is just the rape culture itself. This mentality is the abuse culture, dominance culture and seizure culture.”
Kýþanak stated that they will struggle and stand against those who insist on war and cruelty. She also recorded their strong struggle against all kinds of rape on the labor, identity and body of women and emphasized that they will perform their struggle in the strongest and organized way.
Translator: Berna Ozgencil
