As November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, violence against women continues to increase and deepen at the hands of the state. The Mirabel sisters, who did not bow to the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo on November 25, 1960, are giving strength to the struggle for women's liberation on the 64th anniversary of their murder. Our struggle against fascist dictatorship in our country derives its strength from this point, the desire for freedom and equality.
The hunger line exceeded 20 thousand liras and the poverty line exceeded 66 thousand liras. The hunger line figures, which already exceed the minimum wage, prove that more than half of our country lives below the hunger line. Women have to shoulder the heaviest burden of this poverty. They are struggling to survive under dismissals, wages below minimum wage, and precarious working conditions. Relying on their power from production, women say "We are here" with strikes and work stoppages. Women continue to resist and win in Polonez, MKB Rondo, TKIS Blinds, municipalities and villages. We see women at the forefront of resistance. So strong, assertive and determined! This power reminds all women that they are still half of the class, half of the world and half of the future.
The "heralded" flexible working model for women means nothing but increasing the labor exploitation of women. In other words, women will be able to work as long as they do housework and will continue to have children "to preserve the dynamic population structure." So much so that women who want to work are not provided with nursery, employment, or equal pay for equal work, while women's family ties are wanted to be further strengthened. Even if we look at the website of the Ministry of Family and Social Services, we see that there are "birth assistance, marriage assistance, adoption" guidelines. There is no mention of employing women or making them business owners. They raise the bar to such a point that it imposes a lifelong duty on women to serve the family: Retirement right for women who are domestic workers! The state, each attempt more scandalous than the last, can only offer women a system of exploitation and violence. Women's class consciousness and destructive power can only develop as they are freed from the drudgery of housework and participate in social production. Thus, the mentality that sees women as an inferior, secondary sex can really be defeated!
While the social pressure on pregnant women continues to exist, the Ministry of Health increases this pressure. With the video explaining how a woman should give birth, she encourages women who have had a "cesarean birth" to have a "vaginal birth", disregarding the health of themselves and their babies. As if such decisions were a woman's arbitrary decision! We already know from the Newborn Gang that the health status of babies and their mothers is not taken seriously by the ministry! We sacrificed our children like Narin, Şirin and Sıla to this system. The lifeless bodies of dozens of children were found in neonatal intensive care units! Their parents resigned themselves to their fate, saying it was "divine will". Now who will believe the promises that this system will be safer and better for women and children?
381! At least 381 women were murdered in 11 months. Women were murdered by their husbands, lovers, fathers, bosses and closest relatives. Women are murdered in front of the state, despite restraining orders and the arrest of the perpetrators. After the brutal murder of Ayşenur Halil and İkbal Uzuner, rebellious women took to the streets. Last week, a man on leave from prison murdered the woman he was married to. Because the state protects the perpetrators, not the women. He did this with his misogynist policies; It is implemented through impunity, evidence-based training, social awareness training and family policies. The system, which always puts the blame on women, throws all responsibility away from murderers of women by calling them sick, murderers, and perverts. But neither women nor the whole people believe these lies anymore. Hundreds of thousands of women take to the streets and chant the slogan "We will not be one less person" in unison. This is where our power comes from! While violence against women has become a part of life, this violence is intended to be accepted by the entire society. Women who exercise their right to self-defense and kill to avoid death often cannot even benefit from the discounts applied to murderers of women. We do not accept this. Self-defense is a right.
War drums are beating all around the world! Zionist Israel murdered more than 45 thousand people, including 11 thousand women and 17 thousand children, in Gaza alone. More than 2 million people were displaced. The resistance of the Palestinian people against genocidal attacks continues with great determination. We women stand with the Palestinian people; We are against imperialism and Zionism. The Turkish state is once again declaring what it serves with its attacks in Iraqi and Syrian Kurdistan and its attacks on the Kurdish people, whose will has been usurped by trustees appointed to municipalities. The stance of Batman Municipality Co-Mayor Gülistan Sönük, who was replaced by a trustee, in front of the police barricades is now one of the symbolic photographs for Kurdish women. Palestinian women, Kurdish women and the oppressed women of our country learn from each other to resist and struggle. It progresses by building on and developing the legacy of struggle of women from all over the world. Our side is the side of the oppressed peoples of the world, the oppressed women, these women who resist by learning from each other.
November 25 is the day of common heritage and struggle of oppressed and exploited women. On our day of struggle, let's turn our anger into rebellion!
