Special war policies are at the forefront of the methods that governments use today, especially to liquidate organized sociesties and structure. Special war is defined as "a war declared against society as a whole". Special war covers all areas such as political, social, cultural, economic and military. However, the real goal of special war is to mentally capture society and individuals. 

 

Women and young people, who are the leading forces in the change and transformation of society, are at the forefront of the groups targeted by special war. Women and young people are sought to be mentally captured through harassment, rape, prostitution, drugs, violence and massacres. This situation is taken to the point of physical destruction after a certain point.

 

Şirnex (Şırnak) is one of the cities where special war policies are intensively implemented. Here, the primary implementers of special war policies are soldiers, police, village guards and affiliated individuals. The crimes that these individuals are involved in are often not revealed. Cases involving crimes that are revealed through the initiative of journalists, lawyers or other groups generally end in impunity. Cases where the perpetrators are soldiers, village guards and police officers either end in acquittal or the perpetrators do not spend a single day in prison and are given a light sentence.

 

Lawyer at the Şirnex Bar Association Women and Children's Rights Commission Suzan Karagol explained the problems experienced by women targeted by special war policies in the city.

 

IMPUNITY AND ACCESS TO JUSTICE

 

Drawing attention to the increase in violence against women, Suzan Karagol said that the increase in violence is due to the difficulties experienced in accessing justice. Suzan Karagol pointed out that when a woman who is subjected to violence applies to the relevant authorities, she begins to suffer more.

"We can evaluate the increase in violence and femicides from two perspectives; the first reason is the difficulty women experience in accessing justice. The second is the impunity policiy implemented by the state. When a woman is subjected to violence, she experiences difficulties because she does not have enough information about her rights. When she is subjected to violence and wants to get rid of it, she applies to the judicial authorities, but the attitudes displayed by the judicial authorities cause the woman to give up. The police force reconciles the woman with her husband who subjected her to violence or hands her over to the perpetrator. Therefore, the woman does not access her existing rights," she said. 

 

'STATISTICS DO NOT REFLECT THE TRUTH'

 

The massacres of women or violence experienced in the region were not brought to the agenda enough and the data violence by official institutions do not reflect the truth said Suzan Karagol and added: "The law must be applied is either applied late or the perpetrator is not investigated enough because the law is actually interfered with. Or the perpetrator is kept away from investigation. The perpetrator does not receive the punishment must received. What we see and experience do not match the statistics published by the state. For example, according to the state's statistics, Şırnak region is shown as the place with the least violence. But We, the ones who live here, know that this is not true." 

 

'SOLDIERS OR POLICE OFFICERS DO NOT GET THE NECESSARY PUNISHMENT'

 

Drawing attention to the fact that the policy of impunity is put into effect in cases where the perpetrator is a soldier or a police officer, Suzan Karagol said: "The state carries out the policies it wants to implement in this region through soldier or police officer or the judiciary. It carries out its policy through judicial authorities. In other words, state policy is actually carried out through the judiciary. The duties and power given to police officers or soldiers in the West are not the same as those given to them in this region. In criminal cases, soldiers, police officers or village guards are approached as if they are the state. They are tried without arrest or kept separate from the investigation. They do not receive the punishment they should receive. Since sanctions are not applied or are not applied in a timely manner, the effect of the deterrent factor decreases. Law enforcement officers in this region say, 'even if I murder a woman or commit violence, the state will protect me.' Since they are not subject to sanctions, they see this power in themselves more." 

 

'THE JUDICIARY JUDGING MURDERED WOMAN'

 

Stating that the victimized women are being tried instead of the perpetrators during the judicial process, Suzan Karagol expressed that the judiciary is persistently looking for "mistakes" in the women. Suzan Karagol said: "When a woman is murdered, the perpetrators must be tried. However, the victimized woman is put in the position of being the person being tried. The judge or prosecutor starts to examine why she killed, and the mistake of the murdered woman is persistently sought. The woman is the one who has already lost her rights. Especially in cases where the police are the perpetrators, the perpetrator is tried without being detained, and a reduced sentence is applied in the following process."

 

HOW CAN VIOLENCE PREVENTED?

 

Suzan Karagol emphasized that violence and massacres can be prevented by implementing agreements such as the "Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)". Suzan Karagol stated that if the agreements are implemented, women's access to justice will also be easier. Suzan Karagol continued as follows: "However, in order to prevent violence, we need to start locally. For example, municipalities with a population of over 50 thousand can open women's shelters. In this way, they can try to reach women. First, violence can be defined. Women need to be aware of the kind of violence they are subjected to. If they do not realize that they are subjected to violence, they will not want to access justice. If they understand that they are subjected to violence, they will want to be free from violence. At this point, we can walk with them. The state, the judiciary, bar associations and NGOs need to work together. Precautions need to be taken before a woman dies. How can we ensure this; we can ensure that existing files are processed fairly. We can impose the necessary penalties or, if there is no law in the legislation that will cover rights violations, a law can be introduced."

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut