The DEM Party municipalities in Turkey have declared war on violence against women. The local government committee of the DEM Party announced the one-year campaign ‘Together Against Violence’ at a press conference in Amed (tr. Diyarbakir) today. The declaration of the campaign was presented in Kurdish and Turkish by the co-mayors Devrim Demir from Mardin and Gülistan Sönük from Batman.

The declaration referred to the centuries-long struggle of women for equality and freedom, as well as to the increase in femicides in Turkey: “Today, the point has been reached where male violence is directed not only against women but also against children and manifests itself in its most brutal and barbaric form,” the mayors declared. “The murder of eight-year-old Narin Güran and other unsolved cases of femicide are not the result of an individual evil, but of an organised evil rooted in power. Women and children, whose names are too numerous to mention, are murdered every day in an organised way.”

According to the mayors, the influence of government policy on the judiciary is institutionalising impunity for male perpetrators of violence more and more every day. They pointed out that the policy of trustees implemented over the last eight years is targeting the achievements of women in local government, and women's associations and activists are being systematically criminalised. The unresolved Kurdish question, the constant conflict and the impoverishment of the people are also reasons for the unchecked increase in violence against women and children, they underlined.

“As women, we know that the fight against violence includes raising awareness and changing not only individuals, but also society as a whole. Local government affects all areas of social life. In this context, our understanding of a democratic, ecological and women's libertarian local government plays a crucial role in the fight against violence against women. Local governments that are in direct contact with the needs of the people and are able to make quick decisions and develop solutions have the potential to introduce mechanisms through which women can receive direct support and defend their rights. Local governments can contribute to gender equality by providing a more inclusive and effective approach than central government. With this perspective, we are launching a joint campaign as DEM Party municipalities on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. This campaign will enable us to take a strong and organised stand against all forms of male oppression.”

The campaign aims to create structural solutions and to make the demands of women in local politics visible. “We want to strengthen the collective resistance of women,’ said the female mayors, appealing: ’The attacks on women who have fought for freedom and equality for decades and paid a high price for their achievements are attacks on society as a whole. We call on everyone to fight together against sexism and systematic violence and to say ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ (Woman, Life, Freedom) against the male system for a free life for women.”