JINHA

JINHA – Women academics, politicians and activists gathered for a workshop to discuss how to push for women's roles in the peace process in Istanbul today.

Women activists have gathered in Istanbul for a workshop organized by Kurdish women's group Congress of Free Women (KJA) on women's role in the democratic solution of the Kurdish question.

Among the speakers at the workshop wasPervinBuldan, who is participating in the İmralı Delegation of politicians and civil society activists meeting with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and taking a role in the peace and resolution process ongoing in Turkey.Pervin is also Group Deputy Chairman for the HDP. Pervin spoke at a workshop organized by Kurdish women's group Congress of Free Women (KJA) on women's role in the democratic solution of the Kurdish question. In recent months, Abdullah Öcalan pushed for the Turkish state to allow a second woman onto the delegation, CeylanBağrıyanık of the KJA. With the addition of Ceylan, women now make up half of the four-person İmralı Delegation, a first in the resolution process.

"As women, we paid a heavy price during the clashes; we spilled a lot of tears," said Pervin at the workshop. "As the Kurdish women's movement, we have struggled for the process to turn to peace. And Mr. Abdullah Öcalan said that a process in which women were not included was not a legitimate one to him." Pervin noted that the delegation, which has participated in 32 meetings until now, has discussed women's issues in every meeting and that on the 10-point proposal for the peace process presented at Dolmabahçe Palace several months ago, four of the points involved women.

NazanÜstündağ, Associate Professor at Boğaziçi University, also spoke at the workshop. Nazan's work has ranged from research on Kurdish women's experiences of war to working as part of the group Women's Initiative for Peace (BİKG).

"Whenever peace processes begin, attacks and massacres of women increase," said Nazan. "There's an empirical reality." She noted that the withdrawal of the guerrilla puts women and children in Kurdistan at risk of attacks by security forces. At the same time, the AKP has pushed the role of "motherhood" on women and restricted their role in public life, making them dependent on the state.

KJA activist Ayşe Berktay also spoke, noting that women were at a critical moment, as they come to take a role at the negotiating table in Turkey. Women are continuing the workshop with four ateliers, where they will debate issues like women's recognition in the constitution and organizing for equality for women. The workshop will continue tomorrow.

(ekip/fk/cm)