A committee of the humanitarian organization Geneva Call met KCK Executive Council Co-presidents and representatives of Hawpar in Kandil.

Elisabeth Decrey Warner, the Executive President and co-founder of Geneva Call, and Ann-Kristin ‘Anki’ Sjöberg, Programme Director in charge of Latin America and Kurdistan, first visited KCK co-presidents Besê Hozat and Cemil Bayık.

Besê Hozat who assessed the latest political developments called attention to the importance of the Kobanê resistance going on for two months. Hozat pointed out that the resistance by YPG/YPJ forces and the local people didn't allow the fall of the town, on contrary to what was expected by the whole world, also enabling the creation of a unity by all the democratic powers worldwide in support of the resistance in Kobanê.

The KCK co-president continued, recalling that Turkey provided support to all the attacks ISIS launched on Kobanê and Rojava, and that the ruling AKP government was in an endeavour to eliminate the democratic autonmous system developed in Rojava under the leadership of the Kurds. She remarked that these policies of the AKP government and its attacks on the HDP and the Kurdish people in North Kurdistan manifested the fact that it had no intention to come up with a democratic and political resolution to the Kurdish question. "The AKP policy of denial and extermination against Kurds has failed already. Should an all out war be transferred into practice, it will be not the Kurds but the AKP and Turkey to lose", she underlined.

Speaking after, Elisabeth Decrey Warner, the Executive President and co-founder of Geneva Call, stated that the rescue of Êzîdîs in Sinjar from ISIS attacks by the PKK guerrillas has remarkably changed the approach towards the Kurdish liberation movement which -she said- hoped would soon be removed from the list of terrorist organizations.

KCK co-president Cemil Bayık stated that they fulfilled all the criteria of accepted international rules of war, and that the Turkish state however used prohibited material such as cluster bombs fired from the border of Oramar region in Media Defense Areas.

Bayık continued, pointing out that many women and children fleeing the state and male violence are also joining the ranks of the Kurdish liberation movement, and that they, as an organization fighting on the basis of the paradigm of a democratic, ecologic and women-libertarian society, tried to protect them. “At the same time, children in states with a capitalist regime are being deflected to get involved in drugs, prostitution, rape and bad habits. Children and minors do therefore see the liberation struggle as a way out of the capitalist system. The minors joining our ranks are being trained in a secure environment distant from war and provided with opportunities to maintain their lives.”

Reminding that the Turkish state last year spread propaganda against the PKK claiming that it abducted children, Bayık underlined that “Abduction of children by the PKK cannot be even a matter of discussion”, also noting that some families whose children took to the mountains were used for this black propaganda.

One other subject discussed at the meeting was the fight against sexual violence and achievement of gender equality. KCK co-president Besê Hozat said they considered the Geneva Call's works on the matter important, adding that the KCK and the Women's Liberation Movement did not sign the related Deed of Commitment under Geneva Call because it was far more behind the standards and measures of the Kurdish Women's Liberation Movement.

Elisabeth Decrey Warner answered that they also wanted to keep the standards high but had to determine the present ones in order to be able to keep their relation with other organizations going. She added that they cannot even find any women addressees in many organizations other than the KCK.

The Geneva Call delegation later met Sabır Hasan and Hemin Dersim, representatives of the Hawirdor Parêz (Hawpar) which works for mine clearance in Media Defense Areas.

Sabır Hasan said they attached priority to the clearance of the mines in areas inhabited by civilians, and continued their works despite technical deficiencies.