YJA Star guerrillas Amed Botan and Sema Brûsk spoke about the women’s freedom struggle ahead of 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
YJA Star guerrilla Amed Botan said that the social changes and transformations taking place today hold great meaning for women, stating that women who were enslaved by the male-dominated system, confined to the home, and deprived of their own power now possess willpower. Highlighting that the core of this development among women is based on Öcalan’s ideas and philosophy, she continued: “Through massacres and occupation attacks against society, women’s values are being targeted. The male-dominated mentality continues to sustain itself today through hostility toward women.
It is very important to resist violence against women, to educate ourselves, and to organize. In this sense, the world should see women’s strength and what they can achieve. A women’s army was created with Leader Apo’s [Abdullah Öcalan] ideas. How can women fight, how can they build their organization through their own strength, how can they have a say economically, how can they embrace their ideology, how can they lead in every sphere? The leadership showed how all this could be achieved. We are realizing what the hegemonic system forbids for women, in line with Leader Apo’s ideas, and we are implementing them in life. We are now living in the mountains, continuing this life as Kurdish young people and women. This is our greatest strength.
As young women, we recognize our strength even more here. The level YJA Star guerrillas have reached today is thanks to Leader Apo’s philosophy and ideas. We draw our strength from Leader Apo and comrades like Sara. Comrade Sara and our other leading comrades showed how women can struggle and what kind of path they should follow. We will continue the struggle by following in their footsteps. Women in the Apoist movement see their true reality and reach their essence. The values created in the freedom movement were built thanks to thousands of comrades who sacrificed their lives.”
Women must be united
Beginning her remarks by saluting all women who resist violence with strong willpower, YJA Star guerrilla Sema Brûsk said: “As YJA Star forces, we want to create the unity of all women of the world. We must reveal women’s power, will, and ideas in every area of life. We are struggling for this in the mountains. We believe that all women worldwide will embrace Leader Apo’s ideas and wage a determined struggle. Every woman must recognize her power and will. The unity of women creates great strength and great resistance.
We must never accept increasing male violence, the culture of harassment, and femicides. We must organize ourselves, become a force, and build our communes. Only in this way can we prevent violence and murders against women. We are struggling here; women all over the world must unite in every sphere against violence and killings and defend themselves. Our call to all women is this: unite, become a great force and emerge; win your freedom, assert your will, and build your communes.”