Şêrin Hesen, spokesperson for the Democratic Society Movement (TEV-DEM) Women’s Assembly, spoke to ANF on the occasion of 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Hesen reflected on the meaning and forms of violence and its impact on society and emphasized that women’s struggle plays a decisive role in building a free and liberated society.
Violence is a tool of domination and exploitation
Şêrin Hesen described violence as “a method used by those who seek to dominate, imposing their will and prioritising their own interests while creating dependence,” and said that violence expands by placing itself over human labour and human will.
Hesen stressed that violence is not limited to physical harm and pointed to its various forms and said: “There is physical violence, beating, killing. Another form is verbal violence, which belittles a person, wears them down emotionally and damages their sense of self. And then there is violence rooted in discrimination, most often practiced by dominant systems. They create divisions and hostilities between communities, fracturing society and building their power on that fragmentation.”
Violence directed at women is used to leave society without will
Şêrin Hesen stressed that violence is not limited to women, yet is deliberately channelled through women’s bodies and labour to weaken society as a whole. She said violence targeting women renders society powerless and strips it of its will, adding that this also includes violence against nature. Hesen pointed to Afrin (Efrîn) as one of the clearest examples: “The destruction of historical sites and the assaults on nature in Afrin, including the cutting down of olive trees, are not merely ecological devastation. They are attacks on people’s memory, history, culture and language. The demographic changes imposed in Afrin are an attempt to alter both the existence of the native population and the very structure of the land itself.”
Hesen reflected on the relationship between women and society and said women have been deliberately pushed out of social structures throughout history: “If you want to understand a society, look at the women raised within it. Every woman reflects the level of that society’s development. For thousands of years, dominant patriarchal systems have oppressed women, distancing them from knowledge and production.”
Hesen continued: “When a society is to be subdued, the first target, both mentally and physically, is its women. A conscious and organised woman is feared. That is why every form of political control throughout history has been exercised over women.”
Şêrin Hesen reflected on the history of 25 November, recalling how the resistance of the Mirabal Sisters became a universal symbol. Hesen said: “The 25th of November is rooted in the struggle of the Mirabal Sisters. They were educated, political women. Power sought to violate their values, but they resisted and for that resistance, they were brutally murdered. Years later, this date was recognised and has since become a global symbol of the fight against violence targeting women. This spirit resonated in Kurdistan as well. Resistance figures like Leyla Qasim and Rindexan carried the same tradition forward.”
Hesen noted that society still faces deep structural problems, yet a significant process of transformation is unfolding through women’s leadership and said: “Our social problems are not fully resolved, but the struggle against violence is being waged at the highest level.”
She also underlined the importance of women’s solidarity: “If there is violence in society, it is violence inflicted on everyone. The way to confront it is by strengthening women’s unity in Kurdistan and around the world. Through women’s solidarity, we can build our own system, one that is just, ecological and equal.”