Helin Ümit, member of the Central Committee of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), appealed to young women to recognize their own potential and become active.

Sexism is the essence of domination ideology

Ümit said: "There have been more and more massacres of women in recent years. The massacres of young women in particular are increasing. These are carried out under various guises. They are propagated as accidents, suicides and the like. Young Kurdish women in particular need to understand the following: they are not just facing a problem in their lives, they have a serious problem with their existence.

Why are young Kurdish women in particular exposed to such attacks? I would like to say, first of all, that domination and sexism are the same. They feed from the same reality. Where there is domination, sexism also appears. Sexism is the essence of domination ideology. It is based on possessiveness, the feeling of ownership, dominance and satisfaction. Both phenomena feed each other."

Male supremacy and nationalism

Ümit continued: "In AKP/MHP fascism, male supremacy has completely taken over every aspect of life. This applies not only at school and at work, at home and in television series, but also on those phones that no one can put down. They are also a form of rule. I can say the same about nationalism and fascism. Nationalism is an ideology of domination. What is the nature of nationalism? To put it very simply and understandably: it is claimed that one person is better, more superior, more qualified than others and has the right to control, objectify, use and dominate other peoples. Just as the ideology of male dominance defines women as inherently backward, weak, powerless and helpless, nationalism is constructed in a similar way. Nationalism is, in a sense, an attempt to apply sexism to nations."

Kurds in the Turkish nation-state

Ümit added: "The Turkish nation-state, for example, is a completely male system of rule. This is most clearly reflected in the attitude towards young Kurdish women. It wants to bring her under his control, bind her to him and keep her under supervision. It tries to do this by all means, from feelings to thoughts. The phenomenon called biopower is probably most practiced on young women. In this way, Kurdish society is supposed to degenerate. Young women are treated like objects, harassed and raped... I'm not just saying this in a broad sense. Brute force may be just the tip of the iceberg. Yes, it hurts us more because it is more violent. Because it is direct humiliation. For example, the rape or harassment of a young woman because she is Kurdish by appropriately deployed military, police and civil servants. This is an attempt to bring young women under control. In addition, a lot is played with the feelings of young women in Kurdistan. Their dreams, ideals and aspirations are played with a lot. In this way, they want to bind the young women to them."

Young women are the future of Kurdistan

Ümit said: "A policy of massacre is being pursued against any young woman who falls into such a trap in any way. Some are murdered physically, others mentally. Some are subjected to an identity massacre. This is a very common form. Its purpose is to bring the genocide against the Kurdish people to an end. Similarly, of course, all Kurdish young people are under attack, not just young women, but we know very well that women mean society. Young women represent the future of Kurdistan. The enemy knows this and young women should also be aware of it. If Kurdism has survived to this day, it is largely thanks to women. It is the women who have carried the Kurdish language and culture up to the present day. To end this, young Kurdish women are being targeted. Methods range from physical annihilation to attempting to create freakish young femininity. Identification with Turkish modernity is encouraged in the state education system and in many other places in Kurdistan. The image is conveyed that Kurds are backward and cannot achieve anything. If you are Kurdish, you are not liked, your culture is backwards. In this way, an attempt is made to distance themselves from their Kurdish identity and to alienate young women from themselves."

Young women are killed in various ways

Ümit said: "Young women are being killed in various ways, treated as objects, enslaved and made dependent, and on this basis Kurdish society is to be taken over. There is a high level of politicization in Kurdistan. I don't think the young women are unconscious, because there has been a decades-long fight by women for freedom. There is a women's army. Many of the young women watching me now grew up in this culture. Her older sisters joined the guerrillas. They grew up with the stories of Heval Sara (Sakine Cansız). In this regard, they actually have a certain level of politicization and awareness, but the problem is that this awareness is becoming weaker. There is uncertainty about the reality of the enemy. That's why I encourage all young women to ask: Who is the enemy? What is the enemy? What are the masks of the enemy in Kurdistan? I challenge you to recognize these masks first and foremost."

How women can free themselves

Ümit concluded: "The beginning of everything is consciousness. How you think is how you live. People act according to what they know. In this sense, it is necessary to recognize and understand the system of special warfare. I think there is a weakness in this regard. I'm not just talking about young Kurdish women. Young women in general should really realize it: there is a policy of extermination against them, they are being played with, they are not being given any living space. They know how to free themselves. They know how to defend themselves, but a system of deception has been set up.

I call on all young women to wake up because there is war in our country. No young woman can say that she lives outside this reality and can live and love independently of it. Unfortunately, we don't live in such a country. Genocidal colonialism has made the reality of power and the state so brutal that it objectifies everyone and everything, especially young women. Therefore, serious awareness is necessary. Of course, awareness is not enough. It is also necessary to join organizations that raise and strengthen awareness. Young women should never go alone, they should always be organized. They should trust themselves and their own gender, be close to each other and act and work together. This creates a process that promotes awareness and strengthens self-confidence.

All young women should know that women's world is different from those TV series where women conspire against each other, are jealous of each other and rival each other. There is solidarity in the world of women. Every woman is more sensitive to other women because of her own experiences. They are more conscientious. These virtual stories presented to us are manufactured to separate us from each other. They are stories that were created to make us submit to the male system of domination and the state. That's why every young woman must demand her own story.

The next step, of course, was to radicalize themselves. You should take action. Where there are active young women, society changes. Young women should know that they have this potential. We call on all young women to follow the philosophy of Rêber Apo. [Abdullah Öcalan]"