The fight against the violence on women is a common struggle of all women around the world!
As November 25th International Day for the Elimination of violence Against Women, approaches massive organized violence has been perpetrated and still continuing on Gaza killing over 12000 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 25th 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 25th, 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 90’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 44 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 25th 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.
8march women’s organisation (Iran – Afghanistan) 25 November 2023 www.8mars.com
zan_dem_iran@hotmail.com