The Freedom's Movement of Êzidî Women (TAJÊ / Tevgera Azadiya Jinên Êzidî) launched an international campaign on 8 March called "Against feminicide – be the voice of self-defense". TAJÊ wants to "raise our voices against feminicide and for self-defense" until 3 August, the tenth anniversary of the genocide and femicide in Shengal.

In a statement, TAJÊ called "on all women worldwide to become part of this campaign."We hope that you will join the campaign in various and colorful ways. It is our wish that everyone takes the initiative to develop the campaign further. Furthermore, we also want to make some proposals for a common program. Let us animate them together!"

The program of the campaign is as follows: 

"Until 3 August, you can join the campaign. We are happy if you send us a text, letter or video to let us know about it.

Until 1 July: Our voices are colorful!
We invite you to send us songs, poems, drawings or other artistic inputs about self- defense against femicide in your languages and cultures. We are planning to publish them in a joint brochure at the end of the campaign.

Until 15 May: YJŞ is our honor!
Until today, the military Women’s Units of Şengal YJŞ, which were founded in response to the genocide and femicide 2014, are not offcially recognized. Furthermore, the Turkish state is continuously committing attacks, which wounded and/or killed many of its members. To take a stand for the right of self-defense and to express our solidarity with YJŞ, we invite you to send us pictures with YJŞ-flags until May, 15th.

From 1 April to 1 June: Our martyrs are our light and hope! In spring, the nature of Shengal blooms in all colors. Especially in the mountains of Shengal, the most beautiful flowers grow. We want to make use of this time to remember women who resisted against the patriarchal system. Therefore, we invite you to organize commemorations in all the places you are. For this, we will also upload pictures and stories of resisting êzîdi women on the homepage of TAJÊ, which you can use."

The statement continued: "For us as Êzidî women, the year 2024 is a special year. It marks the 10th anniversary of the genocide and femicide committed by the so-called Islamic State (Daesh) in Shengal. On 3 August 2014 tens of thousands of Êzidî were murdered, abducted and taken as slaves. Children were forcibly recruited as child soldiers. On top of that, hundreds of thousands of inhabitants of Shengal were expelled from their homeland. Our holy places were blown up and tens of buildings were detonated. However, despite all the difficulties and dangers, hundreds of families remained on the soil of Shengal, took up weapons and resisted against Daesh. They participated in the offensive to liberate Shengal and created their own protection forces, called Yekîneyên Berxwedana Şengalê (YBŞ; Shengal Resistance Units) and Yekîniyên Jinên Şengalê (YJŞ; Şengal Women's Resistance Units).

In all massacres and genocides, women are the ones suffering most. The assimilation and killing of women are frequently adopted as a means to wipe out the identity, culture and belief of a society. When, in 2014, women fell into the hands of Daesh, they were raped, sold as slaves and/or forced into marriage with jihadist fighters. Until today, 2.941 persons, most of them women and children, still remain in the hands of Daesh. The genocidal and femicidal attacks against Shengal are a cruel wound in all our hearts. We assess these attacks as the brutal face of patriarchal violence and therefore as attacks against all women."

To support and participate in the campaign: [email protected].