Pressespiegel

8 March International Women’s day; in memories of Du’a and Benaz

by Kameel Ahmady

8 March International Women’s day symbolises women’s labour and their creative power. This is a historical day and a concrete expression of women’s struggle. However, the present progression shows that the achievements have not paralleled the historical process. In general the situation women find themselves in is not too upbeat. In Kurdistan and particularly in Middle East region the situation is far worse.

In this region where men are seen as the more dominant figures regardless of women’s initiative, this dominance is systematic and is reflected through the normative values as well as being endorsed through the institutions. This fact makes women struggle much harder, and this type of illegitimate values are associated with women that has put them in an area where women are subjected to all kinds of unprotected assaults and violence. A simple example would be the murders which are legitimated through honour that have been taking place in these regions. These are portrayed and being imposed as the reflection of the morals of this society as a whole. This is being imposed because these murders are not being punished in a serious way and are aimed at destroying women’s power and the ability to change the society from its base. It can be said that this is true because the present values are imposed only through violence and are patriarchal.

It is certainly fair to say that conflict over women’s rights expresses itself differently according to the cultural variations. But the parallels in which these incidents exist of this kind, in a culturally Muslim Kurdish community should be made apparent. We see a need to a better understanding of these issues which lie beneath the problems, rather than simply labeling them according to a popular rhetoric. These commonalities as well as differences across cultures, and also working together between men and women to develop a more open dialogue about gender equality in the Kurdish society.

The issues of Kurdish women and the ways in which these transitions are from dependent adults is generally shaped by relationships with family members, the market place, the institutions of the state and most importantly when youth become adults and they are faced with contradictory pressures coming from these variations.

Honour killings is not only confined to the Kurdish society, but occurs some of the times in societies that are under the influence of religion. However, there has been a significant increase in the honour killings in parts of Kurdistan during the recent years. This is partly due to the establishment of women organisations in the region and the development of civil society organisations where this issue has been put on their agenda. People began to realise that the women issues are not only associated with women but the society as a whole and started to develop a society wide reflex to the problem.

The problems of suicide and prostitution have increased as a result of the war and women’s lack of financial independent and its effects such as forced migration to cities of Iraq and Turky,s Kurdistan. Last year’s high increase rate of suicide and murder of women in Kurdistan is just reminder of this shocking problem. The highlight of such cases which took place recently in Kurdish city of Batman-Turkey ending a young women life by their family members for “violating family honor” and internationally exposed, stoning to death of Du’a Khlil in Iraqi Kurdistan along with the murder case of Benaz Mahmmud in London.

Although Iranian Kurdish society has a softer touch towards women and are more fair in the treating of females in comparison have widened the family settings with other parts of Kurdistan, but oppressing women which is supported by the Islamic republic of Iran fundamental fraction of the government, such as court orders of stoning women to death, public executions, public flagging and humiliations, difficulties of women obtaining divorce from their partners and right of keeping children is common in Iranian Islamic law, which when imposed by the Islamic family courts, they are thrown out of Iran.

The Kurdish society should reach women who live through the above identified problems. The society should try to find ways on how react to this sort of situation and how to identify these great problems. The Kurdish society should also attempt to find ways to bring about a solution to problems of gander inequalities and a lack of openness and their position in this society to identify what their expectations are, and what are the social codes that put these women in such a situation and their views as to why these traditions are coded in an anti-women approach.

There are many organisations and NGO’s is set up to end these problems. One of such NGO’s is WADI (1) which has been the front runner of pushing for a law prohibiting female genital mutilation (FGM), already been submitted to the Kurdish regional parliament waiting approval. It is important to say that the work done by such organizations/NGO provides us with the base to start the work towards fixing such problems. Some of NGO’s and women organisations up until now have been unfailingly active, and the Kurdish community all owe them much in the progress they have made, but having said that however, some of these organizations have failed to bring about solutions and have stagnated at times.

Kurds must support such organizations even further and at the same time to look at women’s issues in unity and as a whole and we should not separate such important issues from other social and political problems. When we can look at this matter in such a way, only then can we offer solutions and develop ourselves in every aspect of life.

Another year has past and we witnessed news headlines (2) of murder cases, protest, public actions and outrage of international community asking for the end of murdering women and more asking for more support from the governments.

Lets in a day like 8 March remember Du’a and Benaz and thousands of other women across the world who are not with us today. Most importantly let’s make sure that to keep women's issues alive all year around and not just designate it, to a day full of repeated slogans and speeches and total silent all year around.

Endnotes:

(1) http://www.wadinet.de/index.php

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du%E2%80%99a_Khalil_Aswad

Mirror, Mirror…

Quite pretty, not a Venus but then
Greek sculptors are extinct and
Goddesses
Are done with lights and
Make-up, angle—shots
And things….No great achievement
To look Divine
When your mascara hasn’t
Encountered rain
And the wind blown your powder
Away.

By: Jadwiga Billewicz