Şirvan Güçer from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Women’s Assembly said that they prioritise not only organising women’s words, but also their decisions, will and action together, and she stated that every space in which women build their own voice is seen as a site of freedom against violence, inequality, militarism and the male-dominated mentality. She said that as women establish their own voice, society’s power for change and transformation will also grow.
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November is approaching, and the DEM Party Women’s Assembly has shared its political line and struggle perspective for this period with the public. In the statements that called for expanding women’s organised struggle on the basis of equality and freedom, topics such as approaching the peace process from a women’s perspective, women’s will to build their own word, overcoming the masculine language in the current media and political environment, and the importance of collective resistance against economic and legal forms of violence came to the fore. As 25 November approaches, Şirvan Güçer spoke to ANF about this line of struggle in which women become subjects, and the resistance strategies they are developing against current threats.
What does the slogan “We are together for equality and freedom against violence” mean in terms of women’s collective struggle, and how are you shaping this line of struggle as the DEM Party while 25 November approaches, especially considering that the peace process is being discussed?
The slogan ‘We are together for equality and freedom against violence’ is the contemporary expression of women’s historical and collective struggle. This slogan aims to weave a common line of women’s solidarity and the will for freedom against all forms of violence of the patriarchal system. It expands women’s claim to equal representation in all areas of social life, to free will, and to being subjects of peace.
In a period in which the peace process is being discussed, this line of struggle means not only ending war and conflict, but also building social peace, justice and equality from a women’s perspective. A real peace for women is only possible on the basis of equality and freedom.
As we move towards 25 November, we place at the centre of our struggle the expansion of women’s organised power, standing against all forms of violence, and building an equal, free and democratic life under the leadership of women. We are transforming this line into a political line in which women become subjects and struggle together, from the local to the centre, from Parliament to the streets.
Your programme for 25 November included a strong emphasis on “women building their own word”. In the current media and political environment, through which forms of expression can this be strengthened?
Women building their own word is the will of women to collectively express their own truth, their life experience and their perspective of freedom against the male-dominated political and media order. This is not merely an individual statement; it is a political act arising from women’s collective struggle, solidarity and organised stance.
Today, the current media and political environment has a character that limits women’s words, renders their struggle invisible and reproduces the masculine language. Therefore, women building their own word becomes possible by stepping outside the boundaries drawn by power and creating their own space, their own language and their own medium.
As the DEM Party Women’s Assembly, we are expanding the struggle for women building their own word along an organised line. From our Women’s Assemblies to local organising, from our press work to the digital sphere, we are expanding the spaces in which women become subjects, express their own experiences, and write their own story. We see women establishing their own media, developing alternative communication networks, and weaving a common line of solidarity against all forms of repression, censorship and manipulation as a fundamental pillar of this struggle.
Women building their own word also means expanding their own power, their representation and their presence in decision-making mechanisms in politics. Therefore, we prioritise organising not only women’s words, but also their decisions, will and action together.
As we expand this line throughout the 25 November process, we see every space in which women build their own voice as a site of freedom against violence, inequality, militarism and the male-dominated mentality. As women build their own word, society’s power for change and transformation will also grow.
Attacks on women’s living spaces and policies of impoverishment are increasing every day. In addition to physical violence, economic violence has also reached extreme levels for women. Meanwhile, the 11th Judicial Package directly targets both women and people with different sexual orientations. How are you shaping your line of struggle against this picture that surrounds women in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan (Bakur)?
As the DEM Party Women’s Assembly, we are aware that the attacks on women’s living spaces, the deepening policies of impoverishment and the multi-layered forms of violence are the result of the government’s male-dominated and militarist policies. Today women are not only confronted with physical violence; they are surrounded by economic, psychological, political and legal forms of violence.
With the 11th Judicial Package, women’s acquired rights and the existence of individuals with different sexual orientations are directly targeted. This package is an attack law that aims to criminalise the struggle for gender equality and to place women under control once again. Against these multi-dimensional attacks, we weave our line of struggle on the basis of the women’s freedom perspective. All across Turkey and Northern Kurdistan, from our local women’s assemblies to our central structures, we prioritise expanding women’s self-organisation, strengthening solidarity networks and collectivising resistance in every field.
We respond to every attack on women’s living spaces, bodies, identities and will with an organised women’s resistance grounded in equality, freedom and justice. We consider women’s struggle to defend life as an inseparable part of the struggle for democracy, peace and freedom. In this direction, we will continue to expand women’s organised word and resistance in every field, in the streets, in Parliament and in the neighbourhoods.