The Local Administrations Committee of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) launched a campaign that will continue for a year with the call “Our promise is not over. We will stop the violence together”.  Devrim Demir, Co-mayor of Mêrdîn (Mardin) Metropolitan Municipality and Gülistan Sönük, Co-mayor of Êlih (Batman) Municipality, who were dismissed and replaced by trustees, participated in the declaration meeting of the campaign and evaluated the campaign and trustee appointments. 

 

Stating that the government appoints trustees to municipalities on “trumped up” grounds every term, Sönük said that the trustees are an attack on the co-mayor system, which she defined as a “model of freedom”. Emphasizing that women see themselves equally in the administration with the co-mayor system, Sönük also stated that all minorities are more comfortable in cities built with a women perspective. Stating that sexism and nationalism were increased with the trustee policy, “The aim of the trustees is to rule the society from one type, one gender, one mind,” she said. 

 

'WE WILL NOT GIVE UP THE STRUGGLE' 

 

Emphasizing that they will continue their struggle despite the trustees, “We will be with women again. We will take part in marches until our feet can walk. We will pass on what we know as much as our memory allows, and we will also take the memory of our women friends who fought before us,” Sönük said. 

 

'WE AIMED FOR A VIOLENCE-FREE SOCIETY'

 

 

Sönük pointed out the importance of the campaign and continued as follows: “Because with this campaign, work will be carried out against violence against women. We believe that at the end of one year, we can see that the number of murders and suicides of women both in Kurdistan and Turkey will be much, much lower. This one year is very important for us and we aim for a world without violence. In this respect, we believe that we will make a lot of progress in one year. In terms of this one year and beyond, we need to put the fight against violence against women in every second of our lives. Because if we stand against it, we can build the violence-free life we dream of. Fighting violence against women is not only the duty of women. It is the duty of society as a whole. Everyone should see the fight against violence against women as their primary duty. As co-mayors of a municipality that has been replaced by a trustee, we are the representation of a will.”

 

'POLITICS OF HOSTILITY

 

 

Mêrdîn Metropolitan Municipality co-mayor Devrim Demir stated that the appointment of trustees to the municipalities for the third time and the insistence on this policy is an occupying approach. “It is enmity against the Kurdish people. They do not want the Kurdish people to have a will in local governments and to govern themselves. Therefore, this policy is a policy of enmity against Kurds,” Demir said.  

 

Reminding that the first places they attacked after the trustees were appointed to the municipalities were women's areas, Demir said the following: “They closed all women's institutions. They prevented women from working. Wherever there was work for women, they made it a target. The same approach continues today. Just as they appointed a trustee to Mêrdîn Metropolitan Municipality on the 4th of the month, they blocked and stopped our work for women within 2 hours. In 8 years, there has been no change in this mentality. But social work, women's and children's work has not stopped for 8 years, and this work will continue. We may not have institutions but we have women power. Our work will continue in every aspect. We will continue to work for women in both local government and society in a wider, stronger and more determined way.”

 

MA / Rukiye Adıgüzel