middle east woman conference

In memory of Sakine Cansiz, Fidan Doğan, Leyla Şaylemez…

1st MIDDLE EAST WOMEN'S CONFERENCE

Li Rojhelata Navîn de Jin, Jiyan, Azadi!

Dear Women,

The Middle Eastern geography that we live in goes through an immense and rapid process of political, social and economic change. While the systems predicated on denial and massacre of peoples, cultures, and historical and social values rapidly disintegrate, the stance and role of women in this disintegration process pose historical importance. Both the existing systems of status quo and structures emerging anew fail to go beyond the approaches that disregard women, entrench her absolute state of slavery, and prison her to death by perpetuating denial, violence, torture, rape and massacre.

In this process of change and transformation, the struggle that we, the Middle Eastern women wage, bears such value and importance that will seal the fate of not only our geography, but also of us as women. The more the struggle organized and waged in the leadership of women for a free and democratic Middle East and then life is extended, the more it may gain strength and accomplish its aimed results. The structures and systems where women cannot participate in decision-making and representative processes and/or express themselves directly and freely, bring tremendous threats and losses with regards to the entirety of rights and gains the women obtain/strive to obtain through their proud resistance.

In the face of these facts, specifying how the women's color, language, rights, will, identity and gender justice shall find a place in the newly emerging systems and how to wage a struggle for this purpose, along with weaving the lines of common resistance, come up as undeferrable, urgent necessity in the existing state of affairs, for us, the women in the Middle East as a whole.   

To this end, Democratic Freewomen Movement organizes the "1st Middle East Women's Conference" on May 31, June 1-2, 2013, in Amed, with the motto "Woman, Life, Freedom" (in Kurdish: "Jin, Jiyan, Azadi"). The conference aims to:

·         Elicit a perspective of common stance and struggle based on the comprehensive evaluation of the lived political and social developments in the region from the viewpoint of women,

·         Arrive at a perspective of effective struggle against racist nation-state structures, the hegemonic capitalist system, and problematic approaches to women by religions and political Islam which are instrumentalized by tyrannical powers,

·         Weave the lines of a common democratic women's struggle and enhance the existing organizational capabilities by extending women's will and struggle for freedom from local to the regional level,

·         Create a common ground for discussion, acquaintance and sharing of mutual experiences in the current process of regional reshaping, with a view to take part in this newly emerging system as Middle Eastern women, with the rights, color, will and identity, as well as justice, of our own.

On behalf of DÖKH (Democratic Freewomen Movement)

                          Aysel Tuğluk                           Gültan Kışanak

                        DTK Co-Chair                             BDP Co-Chair

        (Democratic Society Congress)       (Peace and Democracy Party)