The trustee administration regime, which was established in almost all Kurdish towns in South East Turkey during the two-year state of emergency following the alleged coup attempt in 2016, was voted out in the 2019 local elections. But just a few months after the vote, the Turkish state once again disregarded the will of the people and reinstalled that illegal system. The democratically elected co-mayors were removed and “trustees” loyal to the regime were brought into office in their place. Under these trustees, social institutions and especially women's institutions in the local administrations were closed and a policy of corruption and Turkification was massively promoted.

On 31 March there will be new local elections in Turkey, and with it a chance to get rid of the trustees. In an ANF interview, Rojbin Bor, co-founder of the Star Women's Association, spoke about the practice of the trustee administration in Van (Wan) and the perspective of resistance against it.

As of 2016, a state of emergency prevailed in Van Province. What impact did this have on civil society?

The state of emergency in Van had a significant impact on civil society. Factors such as the increasing closure of associations, foundations and media/publications, a growing number of human rights violations and the appointment of trustees in the municipalities have severely restricted the activities of civil society in Van. While the state of emergency brought civil society activities to a standstill in the region, the dismissal and prosecution of public sector workers also severely limited the effectiveness of civil society. In this process, democratic participation and the expression of plural perspectives were made more difficult and civil society in Wan was massively affected.

What impact did the trustee-run administration have on the women's struggle?

The appointment of trustees has had a particularly negative impact on women's struggle. Given the trustee's relentless attacks on women's achievements, this regime can certainly be described as misogynistic. In Van alone, the trustees have closed 52 women's facilities. Women's advice centers and women's shelters in all towns were closed. Men were appointed to the women's policy department. The emergency hotline to combat violence against women has been discontinued. Women's centers and vocational training centers were put out of business. Women were forced to stay in the houses and rooms where they were exposed to violence. They were drawn into an even deeper cycle of violence.

The appointment of trustees made it difficult for women's and civil society organizations to continue their fight for women's rights. The appointment of trustees restricted democratic participation and limited women's activities in public life. In addition, the reprisals targeting women's freedom of association and expression, the criminalization of women's work, especially in Kurdistan, and the gradual arrest and the heavy sentences of women's rights activists aimed to stop and end women's struggle. These conditions have significantly impaired women's ability to make their voices heard and fight effectively for their rights. Despite all this, women's fight for freedom is too strong to be ended or even slowed down by trustees. All these obstacles and enemy law not only did not intimidate women, but also led to the development of other forms of organization. Today we see that no matter how strong the attacks, our resilience is growing.

What should the task of women be?

Our mission against the trustee regime is clear: we will not allow this oppressive regime to further push women back. We will fight with determination to strengthen gender equality, defend women's rights and ensure that women play an active role in local governance. Our main task will be to oppose the trustees and fight for democracy and freedoms from a women's liberation perspective.

Van is the most important city in the Serhad region. How do you rate the work of the trustees?

It is perfectly clear what the trustees are doing here in Van; occupation! Van was looted, destroyed, sold and ruined. Why? Because they know they can never win through elections. The destruction continues as the elections get closer. But this city also has its true owners. They are here and they will stay here. They will definitely put an end to the trustee regime and its destructiveness and make Van a fair and hopeful city. This city deserves that.

Did the risk of femicides and violence against women increase under the trustee government?

The vacuum that the trustees have created by closing women's organizations, women's shelters, emergency hotlines and eliminating women's policies has left women unprotected and unsupported in the areas where they experience violence. This has the effect of drawing women even further into the cycle of violence. The trustees' removal of support services for women has severely limited women's ability to cope with and escape violence and increased the risk of femicide and violence against women. In other words, the trustees and their practices have become a major factor that directly paves the way for femicide and violence against women.

How should the social opposition deal with this? How do you rate your actions in the recent past?

The social opposition should be based on unity and solidarity, based on democratic values, human rights and the principle of social justice. In the past, the social opposition has tried to raise its voice against repressive policies and rights violations, but there is some disagreement about the success of this struggle and whether the right path has been taken. Given today's political environment, even engaging in opposition is a difficult process. A look at past battles shows that a united and effective opposition can be successful. There are many factors that determine the success of social opposition. At this point, it is important that political actors come together and prioritize unity and solidarity, reach the public and the young generation with effective communication strategies and use social media in a deeper way. Furthermore, they should be supported by legal struggle in line with democratic values and make their voices heard on the international stage. Every political process is unique, and to be successful it is important to constantly adapt to the changing dynamics and evolve in this spirit.

Would you like to add anything else?

In general, the opposition has not played an effective role against the trustees. No serious publicity could be created about the consequences, impacts and political, social and institutional destruction caused by the trustee regime. In all areas, from universities to civil society organizations, from women's associations to bar associations, the regime used the advantage it gained through the trustee regime for its own political survival and self-protection. In order to explain the politics of the trustees, it must first be properly understood and overcome. Our people and our tradition have managed to overcome many obstacles in the past through political intelligence and organization. We were able to overcome all sorts of obstacles that were gradually put in our people's way: the ten percent threshold, political bans, brutal violence. In this sense, I have great confidence in our people and our tradition. For us, the trustee is a bracket that needs to be closed, an obstacle that needs to be overcome and the name of a bad administration that needs to become a thing of the past. Trustees mean denial, the banning of our language and identity, corruption, poverty and abuse. We have explained this to our people. We want to serve our people. We want to use the influence we will create in local governments to overcome the unfair system that has arisen as a natural consequence of the unequal treatment of citizens and quickly change this. We deeply love and trust our people. We see people's needs and we know the solutions, both at policy level and at service level. We have projects and a management approach that will overcome this unfair system. We have a concept that will strengthen our living spaces and build real democracy at the local level with a fair and participatory governing approach.