HESEKÊ – A youth workshop on social sexism took place in Hesekê yesterday, attended by 120 delegates from youth organizations and other civil organizations in North-East Syria. The workshop organized by the youth of Tevgera Ciwanên Şoreşger and Yekîtiya Jinên Ciwan, in which members of the MSD youth, the PYD youth, the Ciwanan Pêşerojê, Ciwanan TEV-DEM also took part, were also guests of Kongra-Star and TEV-DEM present.
After a minute’s silence to commemorate the fallen of the revolution, the young women began the program by emphasizing the importance of this coming together. Afterwards, TEV-DEM member Rûken Ehmed spoke and drew attention to the importance of protecting the achievements of the revolution, in which the social mentality was changed to create a free life and the inequality between women and men caused by the Patriarchy was created to dissolve. She also addressed the influence of the system of capitalist modernity, which instead of creating freedoms only reinforces these differences. She also clarified the role of young people, who, as pioneers in society, bear a special responsibility
After Rûken Ehmed spoke, a film was shown informing about the influence and history of sexism.
During the workshop, the characteristics of gender and the characteristics of social gender were also discussed. While one thing, gender is biological and equal from birth, social gender is something socially and culturally created, such as gender. B. the social characteristics of women and men, their behavior patterns, their responsibilities. In contrast to biological sex, social gender can be changed.
Our news agency, which was present during the workshop, spoke to two young people about social sexism and their opinions on it:
At the beginning of the interview, the young woman Huşî Şemsiye from the city of Kobanê commemorated the fallen of the revolution and greeted the resistance of Rêber APO and the guerrillas in en Bergen. She then made the following clear:
Women used to be goddesses
“In fact, such a workshop is necessary for us. It is known at what level women used to be. In natural society, women were like goddesses. Everything was in the hands of women, everything was created and distributed by women. Of course it was a democratic culture, a culture based on equality and togetherness. There was no balance of power. But after the culture of the ziggurat developed, the role of women was suppressed because those who wanted to gain power opposed women’s democratic culture. They constantly oppressed and monopolized women, to the extent that women were humiliated in the name of religion and a very strong sexism developed.
Even children are taught this way of thinking
They have also promoted their position of power in the minds of women. They have advanced their dominance over women. For example, when children are born, the mentality of domination, of sexism, is implanted directly in them. If the child is male, a great deal of value is attached to it, but if the child is female, no value is attached to it. When she gets a little older, she’s constantly being silenced. With statements like “Your brother hit you, that’s not so bad”. Men are allowed to assert their dominion over women. This is already implanted in the children’s thinking in childhood.
Women as slaves of man, men as slaves of the state
Capitalism also played a major role here. They always put the guns in the hands of the men and said you have the power. The man himself did not understand that he himself is a slave. True, women were enslaved, but at the same time man was enslaved. Rule was based on the principle that women should be the slaves of men and men should be the slaves of the state.
The advances in the revolution must be strengthened
There has been little progress on this issue since the July 19 revolution. It’s not complete, but something has developed. With the thinking and philosophy of Rêber APO, which is taken seriously by women and youth, this mentality has lost its rights in society. Because this revolution stands on two legs, that of women and that of young people. Here the Turkish state, but not only the Turkish state, in general the whole world states because of their rule against this thinking and promotes individualism and isolation.
The enemy wants to destroy our power via digital media
For example, unethical images of women are published and disseminated through digital media. This is causing our youth to become alienated from their society, alienated from their culture and more engaged with digital media. With that, their power as a youth is extinguished.
We will organize and educate ourselves even more
The cruel Turkish state murders everyone who leads the way as a pioneer of women and makes them the target of their attacks with their sexist powers. We as youth of Rojava, youth of Kobanê and young women in general will march on with the thinking and philosophy of Rêber APO. This sexism that was planted among us today, we will undo. We will educate ourselves even more, with workshops and make ourselves better known through campaigns.
The strength of the woman developed among us, as we say, the woman who cannot do anything in the house, became with the thinking of Rêber APO the army, became the soldier fighting the enemy. It has made itself known in every way. We will build on this even more. The workshop that took place today made these things even clearer.
The youth Diyar , also from Kobanê, told our news agency the following:
“Today there is a workshop on sexism. The workshop took place for the entire Rojava region. That is why all young people from the region took part in the workshop. (…)
12 years of revolution and struggle, but that’s not enough
We say the woman is life. When pressure is put on the woman, pressure is actually put on life. That’s right, we’re having a revolution, the revolution has been going on for about 12 years, a very big fight is being waged. But that is not enough.
Against the murder of women, we need a new mentality
On a mental level, a great change needs to take place within Rojava and throughout Kurdistan this should be developed. That’s why we organized this workshop, so that in the future we can change the mentality of our society, of society in general. The fact that this has not happened to date is our weakness. See, women get murdered all the time. We want to create a new mentality, a new consciousness in which everyone can get to know themselves and create new things within their own society.
Killing the old manhood
We created a revolution, 13,000 Şehîds were given for this revolution, so we have to defend this revolution and finally change this mentality. The system of male domination is always violent towards the woman, but we want to create changes on this issue. We too as men have finally met each other and are returning to our own reality. (…) That’s why we want to change first, we start killing our masculinity so that we can accept the new thinking, the new consciousness.”
