Internationalist Young Women Perspective
A few years ago, Rêber APO predicted that the 21st century would be the century of women’s liberation. This prediction states that the nation of womanhood, which was occupied and destroyed 5,000 years ago, is today in the process of taking its destiny in its own hands and escaping from under the claws of the patriarchal system. Without a doubt, there have always been women everywhere resisting and defending their rights. But why don’t we know their names? Why has their history not been written? There are around 4 billion women in the world. Every woman fights a struggle throughout her whole life. But how can we make it so that these struggles yield lasting results? If we truly understand womanhood as a nation, which is to say, as a historical, cultural and spiritual unit, the perspective of women’s liberation becomes more concrete in our eyes. A gender that has birthed all of humanity, which has led life for thousands of years and which achieved, during the neolithic period, the status of Goddess because of its creativity, is doubtlessly the strongest and most meaningful gender. It is only through a savage war and with great cunning that men were able to declare their enmity towards women. Their objective was not merely to strike a blow against women. Men wanted to put women under their absolute control and use them as slaves. That’s why these attacks are similar to the occupation of a nation. Even though the patriarchal war has lasted 5,000 years, men were never fully able to destroy women’s will, but women have been alienated from their essence and their unity was annihilated. Thus, men have taken their status as God by force. But each woman still feels inside herself that she lives enslaved, and despite the fact that men define this situation as normal, it is actually contrary to human nature at a fundamental level, we may even say that it goes against the laws of the Universe.
If we look specifically at the 21st century, it’s clear that women have made strides towards freedom across the world. Once again, these epics, which are written each day, are not enough to set the world agenda. It is high time for womanhood, as a nation, to reunite. In order to do this, we must write the history of womanhood, the culture of Goddesses must once again flourish and the united spirit of women across the world must be reconstructed. In the World Conference of Women, which was organized for the first time by the vanguard of Kurdish women in 2018 and for the second time in 2022, it came to light that all women’s problems are similar. The patriarchal system is organized at every level. Perhaps with diverse methods, but under the same goal of oppressing and attacking women. This is how it breaks women’s will every day, destroys their essence and annihilates any kind of unity among women. Women can respond to these attacks by organizing in the same way, at different levels. Today, the patriarchy does not attack only women; from nature to society, from children to the elderly, every form of existence is harmed by the patriarchal system. A global revolution is necessary. If all forces in the struggle unite and build a collective front against the system, there is no dominant force that can stop them. But who will build this front? What will it look like and where will it begin?
In the construction of real socialism, Marx identified the working class as a force and identity fundamental to the revolution. But given that the identity of the working class is in and of itself a product of the capitalist system, the Marxist-Leninist revolution was not able to create free personalities that were positioned outside of the system. This was surely not Marx’s intention, but in the end, society was not able to overcome the dominant personality to achieve liberation. In particular, the reality of women was ignored. Rêber APO clarifies that it is women and the youth who play the role of the vanguard. Both because these sectors of society were oppressed long before the appearance of the proletarian system and thus feel the need for freedom more strongly, and because the sectors of society that flow the most, that are strongest and most creative, are made up of women and the youth. This has been proven by the struggle for Kurdish liberation. Perhaps in other revolutions this fact has not been so obviously stated, but it is still a global phenomenon. That is why the philosophy that RESISTANCE IS LIFE, from Kurdistan to the lands of Abya Yala that have been named by its occupiers as Brazil, is one and the same philosophy.
After the success of the World Conferences of Women, Kurdish youth also felt the need to build a space to exchange ideas, share experiences and expand the struggle. That is why, from November 3rd to November 5th 2023, the Youth Writing History network organized the World Youth Conference. 90 revolutionary and socialist youth organizations from nearly 50 countries came together and with great motivation discussed current problems and looked for solutions together. One of the founders of the Movement for the Liberation of Kurdistan, Duran Kalkan, defined this conference as a rebirth of the spirit of ’68. And truly, in this conference the spirit of ’68 joined with the spirit of women’s revolution. This youth conference was not only a blow to the colonial capitalist system. Because the topic of women’s liberation was a fundamental issue, it also dealt great blows to the patriarchal system. A great number of young women participated with their own characters and with their own voices, and through the conference developed very rich perspectives. This too is the magic of the Kurdish revolution. On the one hand, women get organized, and on the other hand women’s liberation becomes a central topic in all of society. If, in this moment in the East of Kurdistan (Rojhilat) as revenge for the murder of a woman, not only women but also thousands of young Kurdish, Persian, Beluch men take to the streets and risk their own lives, that is also an expression of this magic. This is also why the relationship between the struggle of women and that of society as a whole was talked about in the conference. Maybe not all women who joined the conference were part of autonomous women’s organizations. But it came to light that young women are a natural vanguard in all sectors of the struggle. With the dynamics of youth and the creativity of women, young women possess a unique force. Characteristics like the defense of the morale of society, a strong relationship with their objectives and the creation of ethical and aesthetic values are very well-developed in young women. In the conference, the character of women, from their organization to their participation in discussion and decorations, was so vital that it was remarkable. In particular, the panel called “Young Women Writing History”, in which young women from four different parts of the world shared their experiences of struggle, motivated a profound reflection and great motivation. Especially, there was a very strong link between indigenous women who are fighting a war for the liberation of their land, and a perspective towards a joint struggle was built. Additionally, the call from young women for the “FREEDOM FOR ABDULLAH ÖCALAN, SOLUTION FOR THE KURDISH QUESTION” campaign was very interesting. Many young women who had never heard the name Rêber APO before were greatly influenced by his attitude toward the issue of women’s liberation and quickly felt a link to him. On this basis, the autonomous declaration sent out a strong message.
In general, the instance of the conference clarified that the social sectors of youth and women cannot be viewed separately. Young women create a bridge between these two sectors and carry the force of the revolution towards its highest peak. In order to carry out a victorious struggle, youth movements need the vanguard of young women. On the other hand, young women are the key point of the revolution. In order for young women to play their role in its strongest form today, even more discussion must be had. It is only if young women carry the weight of the revolution on their shoulders with great resolve that we will be able to see great results. Young women must believe in themselves and welcome the 21st century’s Revolution of Women with infinite motivation. This way, they can defend the legacy of thousands of women and young people who have given their life in the struggle for freedom. It is already clear that the moment has come for young women to take a new historic step. In this context, the organization of a World Conference of Young Women could be the newest offensive in the epic of the world socialist revolution.