The Shengal Women’s Units (YJŞ) stated in their written declaration that they support the initiative announced on 30 October by the Yazidi Women’s Freedom Movement (TAJÊ), titled “Do not kill yourself, every suicide is a decree,” which aims to counter the increasing rates of suicide.
The statement emphasised that severe forms of violence have been imposed on the people of Shengal in recent years, and that the psychological, cultural and physical impact of this violence on women and young people cannot be ignored, as it functions as one of the methods of special warfare.
The declaration recalled that the Yazidi people have faced genocides many times throughout history and underlined that a people who have come this far through resistance cannot be pushed into helplessness. The statement continued: “How can such a cheap death be preferred on this day which has been reached with the blood of thousands of Yazidis. The current system must be understood correctly. This violence and these suicides occur as a result of special warfare, destruction, denial and assimilation policies. Women, men and young people in particular become victims of these attacks. These attacks also become the cause of broader social problems. When they cannot become a force for solution themselves, they turn to suicide. But suicide is not a solution. As a women’s army, we do not find this acceptable and we reject it. This is extremely dangerous for the Yazidi people and society is being pushed towards disappearance through this path.”
The statement pointed out that in the Yazidi faith, suicide is considered one of the greatest sins and continued: “In the Yazidi faith there is an equal, shared and communal life. Yet what we are witnessing today is the complete opposite of this. This means distancing oneself from the truth. Our people are not alone, we stand behind our people. No woman is alone, we stand behind all women!”
The statement also noted that, as Shengal Women’s Units, they feel responsible for all the problems experienced by the community, adding: “We are ready to become the force of solution for every problem. Because we draw our strength from Abdullah Öcalan. Mr. Öcalan evaluates the reality of society and the problems of society in detail. Anyone who thinks their life has reached a dead end can save themselves from darkness and reach clarity through the ideas and philosophy of Mr. Öcalan.”
The declaration ended with the following call: “Let us make life meaningful and lasting through the ideas and philosophy of Abdullah Öcalan.”