Beritan Canözer / JINHA

AMED - Hazal Aslan, an activist with the group Free Young Women in Diyarbakır, say that in the wake of the Suruç massacre of young activists, women are preparing to secure their own safety.

On July 20, a bombing killed 32 in the city of Suruç, Turkey. The bombing targeted a gathering of youth activists from the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF), who were in the midst of holding a press conference announcing their plans to travel to Kobanê and help rebuild the city.

Now, Hazal Aslan of the group Free Young Women in Diyarbakır says that young women in the region need to be prepared to defend themselves against all forms of attacks, given that the state stands by while men attack.

Hazal explained that after attacks like those in Suruç, carried out by Daesh with the support of the ruling AKP, women need to be ready to protect themselves in the environment of escalating tension. She explained that "self-defense" does not just mean being ready for bombings and police repression, but also being prepared to defend against escalating rates of male violence--rape, family violence and attacks.

Hazal explained that the idea of women's self-defense draws on a phrase from the writings of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who writes: "Even a rose has a thorn. For a people to be unable to defend itself, to be unable to protect itself from oppression, means the end of that people."

"We can't say that [women] should randomly arm themselves and protect themselves like this. Self-defense doesn't just mean carrying a weapon," said Hazal. She emphasized the need for women to be organized and ready to respond to attacks. "There need to be self-defense trainings and conferences for women, and this needs to pass from theory into practice.

"We don't know what's waiting for us in the future. We could be attacked at any moment," she said. "We need to learn to protect ourselves; we can't expect anyone to protect us."

(nz/fk/cm)