Komalên Jinên Kurdistan (Kurdistan Women's Communities, KJK) Coordination has issued a statement strongly condemning the murder of Özgecan Aslan and the increasing murder of women in Turkey, and stressed that stopping the murders of women is possible through women developing self-defence units.

The KJK Coordination stressed in its statement that the murders of women have taken on a systematic character in Turkey, and saluted the rebellion of women in Turkey and North Kurdistan condemning the rape and KJK calls on women to stop murders through self-defencemurder of Özgecan Aslan in Mersin.

KJK recalled in the statement that the driver of the mini-bus that Özgecan boarded murdered her after raping her and collaborated with his father and his friend to burn her body to conceal the murder, drawing attention to male solidarity against women.

KJK further recalled the gang rape in India last year and the anger and rebellion of women afterwards, likening it to the rebellion of women in Turkey after the murder of Özgecan. KJK said the women in Turkey and North Kurdistan rightfully addressed the political power as holding responsibility for the murder of women in Turkey, forcing the AKP government to make a statement about the issue, although it remained silent at the protest actions of women. The KJK also recalled that the AKP government labelled the incident as a single savage act, while denying the systematic character of violence against women.

AKP’s anti-women policies are behind the murder of women

KJK stressed that the murder of women in Turkey and North Kurdistan are by no means isolated incidents unrelated to each other, but part of a systematic feminicide, which has increased enormously under AKP rule.

“The murder of women is the result of the mentality of the AKP, which has a hidden agenda of building the rule of men against life and women in these lands, where a culture of communal, free and egalitarian life led by women is growing. This is why the AKP attacks the rights and freedoms of women gained by struggle, and seeks to push women out of social life”, said the KJK, and added that the AKP perceives women only as carers of children and servers of men, and objectifies them as mothers and wives. KJK stressed that the AKP is by no means different from ISIS in this regard.

Violence against women threatens all aspects of life

KJK emphasised that AKP rule instils and encourages the culture of rape through its hostile policies against women, both in its theoretical discourse and practices. KJK said AKP rule deliberately prepares the ground for feminicide in Turkey, and added that the AKP seeks to integrate its male and anti-women mentality into all fields of the social fabric just like it creates a racist society against the Kurds through socialising its fascist mentality and policies.

“It creates potential murderers of women from men. Violence against women increases both quantatively and qualitatively and threatens all aspects of life,” added the KJK.

Stop feminicide by developing self-defence forces

KJK Coordination said they believe that the only way to stop murders of women is by establishing and developing women’s self-defence forces, adding that it is futile to expect a solution from this government which is itself behind the systematic murders of women through its social project, policies and implementations.

“We can only defend ourselves by self defence against male dominance and violence that threatens all aspects of our life and our freedoms,” said the KJK, adding that no woman is free from this male violence. KJK called for action by women to stop this male violence, with women building self-defence forces in all villages, towns and neighbourhoods and developing unique solutions themselves.

The KJK Coordination called on women in Turkey and North Kurdistan to step up their struggle and to take an active initiative to stop the murders through developing self-defence mechanisms, and added that it is the only way to prevent more Özgecans’ right to life being taken away.