Pointing out that the war in Syria poses a danger for women, beliefs and peoples, Satiye Ok, member of the Central Executive Committee (MYK) of the Socialist Women's Assemblies, pointed out that women who are most affected by the war should form a common front.

 

Satiye Ok stated that they are in a process in which imperialist powers are implementing the Great Middle East Project and said that Israel has carried out extensive attacks against Palestine, Lebanon and Iran.

 

'WOMEN AND CHILDREN SUFFER THE GREATEST DAMAGE'

 

 

Satiye Ok stated that women and children have suffered greatly in the face of the imperialist aggression against the Middle East and that women are treated as "booty". Satiye Ok emphasised that Turkey was carrying out attacks against the gains of the Kurds and said: "We see that an organised attack to deny the status of the Kurds is being planned and put into action again. Of course, there is a resistance against this, the struggle of the oppressed against the attacks stands somewhere."

 

WOMEN'S INITIATIVE FOR PEACE

 

Satiye Ok stated that especially women in Turkey and the Middle East have great duties in this war situation and emphasised that women have played very important roles in war and peace processes in the history of the world. Satiye Ok stated that the Women's Initiative for Peace (BİKG), which was founded in 2009, has very valuable practices, "We know that if an honourable peace process is to be built in these lands, if there is to be peace, the peoples must have equal rights and the right to life of the peoples must be secured," she said. 

 

BUILDING HONOURABLE DEMOCRATIC PEACE

 

Satiye Ok emphasised that a peace movement initiative to be formed by women in the Middle East will meet a very important need with the situation that has emerged in Syria today, and said: "We have always said for years that these imperialist wars are men's wars. These wars are not women's wars, because women are oppressed the most in these wars, women are killed the most, women and children face the consequences of war. Therefore, it is very important for women to build peace in the face of war. We do not want war; we believe that the Kurdish and Turkish peoples can build an equal, honourable, democratic and just peace."

 

'EVERYONE MUST PLAY A ROLE FOR PEACE'

 

Satiye Ok underlined that all groups should attempt to build peace before it is too late and continued as follows: "We believe that the peoples in Rojava and Syria, the Arab peoples and other peoples can live together şn peace, come side by side and rebuild a new life in an equal and honourable way. Women must take the initiative to build peace wherever they are, in all geographies. Everyone must play a role here, everyone myst take the initiative. If we want our children to live in peace and in democratic countries in the future, we must build women's initiatives for peace wherever we are. We must draw up a perspective, a road map and organise this women's initiative city by city, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, street by street, make women a stronger party to peace and underline once again that we must create public opinion at this point."

 

MA / Yeşim Tükel