CENTRAL NEWS
Biological wars have become a more and more pressing issue in the last 30 years. As capitalist modernity is reaching its climax, biological weapons like viruses are impacting bigger and globalizing faster year by year. In 2020, the same scenario is being re-lived in the person of the Corona Virus.
A virus spread around the globe at the speed of an email, infecting more than 3,5 million people – according to official numbers, that is. Struggling countries such as Turkey who missed the last opportunity to take preventative measures are implementing damage control policies instead; the actual infection rate in Turkey is 11 million compared to the 128,000 cases the country discloses to have, according to a recent study by a German university.
And there are almost 250,000 official deaths worldwide. Whole institutions and governmental organisations have been halted globally. Gatherings, meetings and other forms of physical contact are almost completely illegal in public. Society is being advised to stay at home. While whole villages and cities are under quarantine, people turn to isolation and individualism.
Not to forget that the measures taken by the state only go so far as limiting the basic human rights of the population. People in prisons in many states are being kept under dangerous conditions. Prisons are turning into the concentration camps of the state. People of the working class, and those of even far worse economical conditions, are faced with the economical cripple of not being able to finance staying at home, thus having to work in crowded and unhygenical places.
On the other hand, the situation of the woman becomes more critical because of the patriarchal attack she is confronted with by her enslaver whom she has to serve without a break these days. With his presence at home, cases of violence against women and feminicides are increasingly growing, day by day. For many women this is pure torture by psychological and physical means.
Nevertheless, we have to consider that in the time and age of internet and information, women are able to organize, to stay in contact with each other and help each other out. Especially young women can play a leading role in the matter of organizing, educating and informing. Social media platforms and networks that are conveniently, consistently-used, can be transformed into instruments of large organizational exchange for women everywhere, to every woman who has a connection to the internet and social media networks.
Not only by sharing the contact telephone numbers for women’s protection houses for them to reach out to, but rather carrying the political work to social media by creating groups, platforms for discussions, campaigns etc.
Women can organize and reach out to more women, especially now, when the concentration of socialization lies on social media and social networks. Through tools such as Twitter and Instagram, safer mediums of groups are able to discuss educational, informational, social and political matters – and even more can and should be opened for example reading circles, workshops, seminars and so on. This can be continued on conversational platforms by video or voice messages.
Campaigns can be started and political messages and statements can be spread all over the internet. This can be spread further to intensify outreach, starting from a group of women in a village, spreading out as far as different cities or countries.
Campaigns can globalize really fast if shared everywhere. Young women can put out discussions on domestic and sexual violence. Persons who practice violence against women can be shamed publicly. Also this can move into a much bigger struggle, taking physical form if need be.
In real life, helping each other out by reaching other women, getting them to a safer place to stay, is something we should definitely take into consideration. By taking the right hygenical measurements, this should be a possibility, we can make serious changes.
At least the factor of information for women, to know about their opportunities, is of gigantic importance. Also educational topics become more important so that women overcome shame and help themselves out of their situation and create consciousness.
On the other side, many women without access to the internet or social media are faced with an even more difficult situation. Unfortunately it is much harder to physically reach out to these women. But still, without physical contact, information can reach these women by sharing and putting papers or flyers into post boxes of houses in cities, neighborhoods, villages and other places. This way women create a consciousness about the patriarchal situation they are facing and gain courage to help themselves out.
This is one method out of many, but still not a solution to all the problems young women are confronted with at this time.
What is important is to stay active and not to let a virus like the Covid-19 stop us in our struggle. As mentioned before, especially young women can play a leading role in this. Because most young women are active on social networks and so on, but also reach out to people through organizational groups and forums of schools, universities and colleges, their outreach is much higher than in any other group of society.
Sharing campaigns, statements, information and educating by using the internet in a creative way, politicizing and organizing this can be a primary task for young women who actually care and want to act in the present time. This way we can answer to the system of capitalist modernity that our struggle for freedom of women and of the whole society is never stopping, whatever method is being used.
Maybe it is difficult to come together and act as defence groups like the Gullabi Gang in India or like the young women of the women’s defence units in the revolution of Rojava, but still we can turn the system to avail into weapons. Tools of capitalism and patriarchy, such as the internet and social networks, can be used to hit their masters if they are skilfully operated.
In addition, alternative campaigns can be run to inform what the corona virus actually is, what impact it has on the lives of women, society and children. The system of capitalist modernity can be analyzed. Websites, groups, forums, hashtags, discussions, statements and campaigns or many other forms of exchange (videos, pictures etc.) should be opened and shared.
These examples can be ideas that can lead into many more activities and actions to give attention to the situation of women and their reality, that should not be ignored and forgotten.
