The fight against the violence on women is a common struggle of all women around the world!
As November ۲۵th International
Day for the Elimination of violence Against Women, approaches massive organized
violence has been perpetrated and still continuing on Gaza killing over ۱۲۰۰۰ people
aimed at the genocide of Palestinians people by Zionist forces with the support
of Western imperialists and other reactionaries.
At the same time, as
November ۲۵th the International Day for the Elimination of violence
Against Women, approaches, the fascist regime of Turkey, led by Erdogan,
cold-bloodedly launches military attacks against the Kurds in Rojava,
northeastern Syria, and northern Iraq, resulting the death of hundreds of
people.
The main victim of these reactionary wars
are women and children. The People and specially the women’s share from these
reactionary wars is only homelessness, poverty, hunger, oppression, sexual
harassment and rape.
As November ۲۵th, the International Day for
the Elimination of violence Against Women, approaches, it is evident that
misogynistic governments, including the Taliban in Afghanistan and Islamic
regime in Iran, are systematically perpetrating violence against women to
deepen and consolidate evermore the male domination over women.
Afghanistan:
In continuation of the misogynist policies
of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the compulsory
wearing of the hijab (burqa) has been imposed on women. Traveling without a
close male relative, the presence of women in parks and many public places, and
education in schools after primary level and in universities have been banned.
The few remaining jobs that women had a chance to work in such as beauty salons
and home sewing have been shut down. The medical treatment of women by men in such
a situation has been banned that women have no opportunity to study or to be
trained for the work in a healthcare or treatment center… all these are
alongside the role that the patriarchal culture plays in the society, and the shocking
number of honor killings, child marriage, and other forms of violence in the
families and the society, that has caused a vast increase in the number of
suicides committed by women. Meanwhile, the fascist Islamic regime of Taliban
responds to any voice of protest from Afghan women with suppression, murder,
torture and imprisonment.
But, a plain and indisputable fact is that women in present day Afghanistan
differ significantly from two decades ago when Taliban came to power in ۹۰’s. Despite the Taliban`s relentless anti woman
effort to eliminate women from the society, Women are the only group that have
persistently resisted this oppressive regime since the Taliban were brought to
power. Through their ongoing struggle against the Taliban and imperialist
power, particularly the United States, which facilitated the ascent of these
oppressors, as well lobbying groups seeking to legitimize the Taliban, women
have exposed them by their demonstrations, sit ins, gatherings and by using
virtual spaces and have shown that they will never retreat.
Iran:
The Islamic regime of Iran, from the time it came to power, has shown its
ideological nature to the world through violence and oppression against women.
The compulsory hijab was one of the first forms of violence against women
through which the possession and control of women’s body and determining the
orientation and purpose of their lives by men and the state was formalized. The
Islamic regime made extensive efforts to deprive women from participation in
many different sports, educations, and occupational fields. By banning abortion
and other measures that is used to prevent pregnancy, women have formally been
transferred to a child-bearing machine for their ‘population increase’
programs.
By allocating a large budget to cultural
centers to produce anti-woman products, the Islamic states promoted a culture
of misogyny in society and contributed to increase the statistics of various
forms of domestic and social violence.
But in the last ۴۴ years, women in Iran by their struggles against compulsory
hijab and other forms of violence against women and also through their struggle
in all social, economic, and political spheres, the women have made the ground for
widespread movements throughout the country. They played a leading role in the
recent Jina (Mahsa) uprising, sparked in response to the regime’s murder of
Jina (Mahsa) Amini, a young Kurdish woman. The role of women was such that the
uprising is also known as “Woman Life Freedom”. Even though the women’s struggle
was responded by threat, arrest, torture, rape and murder these state organized
violence did not cause them to yield but their struggle continued and is still
continuing.
In spite of a relative fall in street protests and despite security
crackdowns by suppressive forces, brave and advanced women and youth persist in
the struggle against compulsory hijab by appearing in public spaces without
hijab, waging the most politically charged struggle against the regime. Armita
Garawand was one of these courageous teenagers who was murdered in the fight
against compulsory hijab by the regime`s mercenaries.
Even
among the women imprisoned, there is no surrender. They persist in their fight
against compulsory hijab within the confines of prisons, courtrooms, and when
are transferred to hospitals. Yes Women through their struggles not only
resisted regression but also are determined to throw the compulsory hijab and
the entire anti-woman system of the Islamic regime to the graveyard of history.
We, women
through the long length of the borders of this world, stand at the forefront of
the fight against violence on women, not only on November ۲۵th but every day of
the year, and move forward to change this patriarchal world of oppression and
create a new world without violence on women by relying on our international
fight.
۸march women’s organisation (Iran –
Afghanistan)
۲۵
November ۲۰۲۳
www.۸mars.com
zan_dem_iran@hotmail.com