IWD Solidarity Message of CENI Kurdish Women’s office for Peace
Cenî – Kurdish Women’s Office for Peace
4 March 2012
Dear Sisters from the Philippines,
On the occasion of 8 March 2012 as women from Cenî – Kurdish Women’s Office for Peace we send our warmest greetings to all women who are fighting for freedom and justice – especially we declare our solidarity with the struggle of GABRIELA National Alliance of Women in the Philippines and all women organising under the umbrella of the global alliance of grassroots-based women’s organizations, networks, alliances, and institutions, the International Women’s Alliance IWA. By intensifying and joining our struggles, we believe that we can overcome any form of oppression and will succeed in realising our political and social alternatives.
The International Women’s Day has become a symbol of global struggles against patriarchal oppression, against capitalist and imperialist exploitation, for women’s struggles for a life in dignity and freedom. For 102 years women have been remembering, the striking textile workers from New York who were locked and burnt alive by the owner of the factory on 8 March 1857. On the occasion of International Women’s Day women and women’s movements keep the history of women’s resistances alive, initiated new struggles and keep on announcing their current demands on marches and rallies. As capitalist exploitation, imperialist wars, environmental destruction, patriarchal and racist violence continue threaten our lives, for us every day and every field of live have become the right time and a field of women’s struggle and resistance.
Dear Sisters, we believe on 8 March 2012 you will amplify your struggles against the US-prescribed neo-liberal and neo-colonial policies resulting in unbearable crisis, poverty and rising oil prices and stand up against militarization and all kinds of violence against women. Due to the present worring developments as Kurdish women we have also announced, that this year 8 March is not a day of celebration but a day of resistance for us!
During the last year mass arrests of Kurdish politicians, human rights and peace activists, trade unionists, activists from women’s and youth movements have reached a new climax as well as the war, extra-juridical killings and massacres against the Kurdish population. On behalf of over 8.000 political prisoners 400 of their comrades started an indefinite hunger strike in the prisons of the Turkish regime on 15 February 2012. They are demanding freedom for Kurdish people’s leader Öcalan, assurance of education in mother language and an end to political and military operations against the Kurdish people. In support of these demands a group of Kurdish women and men started an indefinite hunger strike in front of the European Council in Strasbourg on 1 March 2012, after a long march of 416 km from Geneva to Strasbourg.
On 8 March 2012 women in Turkey and Kurdistan will march to the prisons to support the hunger striking prisoners. In all parts of Kurdistan, other countries of the Middle East and Europe hundred thousands of Kurdish women will march this year under the slogan “Let’s liberate Abdullah Öcalan, stop genocide and feminicide against the Kurdish people!” As from our perspective the attitude of the Turkish state towards Abdullah Öcalan is synonymous with the attitude towards our demands for recognition of the Kurdish identity and the respect towards our democratic and cultural rights. The Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Ocalan was kidnapped and imprisoned in 1999 and has been kept under total isolation since July 2011. We believe that with the release of Abdullah Ocalan a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question and sustainable democratization of Turkey will realize within a short time.
Dear Sisters, the history and current political developments have shown us that we can only achive fundamental changes, if we organize ourselves as women and fight together. In this sense, we believe that we will succeed in stopping genocides, imperialist plunder, injustice and patriarchal oppression by a common and decided struggle of women movements all over the world. Only by our self-organisation as women we will be able to defend our rights and lives and to rebuild our societies on the foundations of solidarity, freedom, genuine democracy, without any exploitation of women, children, men and the nature.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8 March, from the deep of our hearts we greet all women who are fighting and organising for a life in dignity and freedom in their towns, in their livelihoods, in urban and rural communities; in the forests and mountains; in the prisons and factories; in families, politics and societies, in art and culture; in media and science…
Long live the 8 March and women’s international solidarity!
Let’s strengthen our common struggles against sexism, imperialism and militarism!
Let’s advance the militant global women’s movement!