The women’s organisations in Turkey have issued a joint statement calling out to Parliament, media and women urging everyone to prevent the war and to work for peace. The women said “Now that Turkey now has a parliament where differences of the country are well represented, do not bring the war and war bills as the solution of a problem”.

The women’s organisations in Turkey have issued a joint statement under the title “We insist for peace” saying that women will maintain their determination to struggle for peace and warned the politicians and the media not to present the war as an alternative to a peaceful resolution.

Women recalled the savage attack on Kobanê on 25 June, which claimed the lives of 230 civilians and said the massacre created deep sorrow and anger; however strengthened the will to struggle for peace rather than breaking it down.

The statement of the women drew attention to the fact that the attack on Kobanê demonstrates the preperation of a new war period and said: “While there is a war outside the borders, it becomes all the more difficult to develop peace inside the borders. The peace process has come to a halt in the last 3 months. When we thought that a consensus was reached for the democratisation of Turkey and social peace, hatred, enmity and rage have become part of the daily life again”. Women added that these war policies are being developed despite the majority of the society having asked for peace in the last general elections.

Calling out to politicians, women said “while there is a new parliament where the differences of the country is well represented, do not bring war and war bills as a solution to any problem”, and recalled that a new government has not yet been formed and thus a temporary government cannot take the decision of war in the name of millions. Women stressed that the majority of the society voted for peace in the elections and thus the new parliament must act to sustain peace and added that before the official start of the working of the new parliament, an old bill cannot be made the ground of war.

Women also called on the media organs to be the voice of peace and to make peace journalism and language of peace prevail. Women also called on all the women to insist on peace and said: “We all know very well about what war means. This is why we have to insist on peace. Let us spread the peace to all the country and shout out altogether ‘we are determinate for peace’”.

The joint statement was issued on the call of Women’s Initiative for Peace and undersigned by feminist organisations, women’s committees of trade unions, women student groups and various other independent women’s organisations.