On the third day of the 23rd Munzur Culture and Nature Festival, the panel “Women Discuss the Agenda” was held on Art Street. The panel was moderated by Birsen Orhan, the co-mayor of Dersim who was removed from office. Speakers included Ayla Akat Ata, an activist with the Free Women’s Movement (TJA); Gamze Yentür, a representative from the DEDEF Women’s Assembly; Sema Barbaros, member of the Central Executive Committee of the Labor Party (EMEP); and Tanya Kara, spokesperson of the Socialist Women’s Assemblies (SKM).
Criticism of “Family Year” policies
Tanya Kara opened the panel with a speech titled “The Patriarchal Regime’s Family Year and the Direction of the Women’s Struggle,” emphasizing that the AKP-MHP government’s family policies constitute a plan to encircle and target women. She pointed out that the “Family Year” policies define women not as individuals, but as wives and mothers, and that this was being systematized through religious and state institutions. Kara said: “The questioning of women’s rights and the deepening of gender contradictions show that male dominance is in crisis.”
Sema Barbaros: Organized struggle is our greatest strength
In her presentation titled “The Government’s Family Year Target: Exploited Women’s Labor,” Sema Barbaros said that the concept of family has been turned into a tool to serve capital. She explained that the AKP government steers women toward part-time, insecure jobs and that these policies exacerbate violence against women and societal inequality. “The glorification of family increases control over women. The burden of the crisis is being placed on women’s shoulders,” said Barbaros.
She stressed that organized struggle is more important than ever: “The government acts in an organized way. We, as peoples, women, and workers, must also come together and establish lines of resistance. We can only defend peace and equality together.”
Gamze Yentür, in her presentation on “Women’s Rights,” emphasized that the family structure has become a key ideological apparatus of the state. She linked the sanctification of the family to the historical interests of capital and noted that although women’s rights are supposedly secured by international agreements, they are not implemented. “The Istanbul Convention was a major achievement for women. But capital and government forces instrumentalize these agreements for their own benefit,” she added.
Ayla Akat Ata: The only path to a Democratic Society is organization
The final speaker, Ayla Akat Ata, in her speech “Building a Democratic Society and the Role of Women,” emphasized that the foundation of their years-long struggle is the organized resistance of the people. Despite pressure on the co-leadership system, she stated that they persist in defending democratic governance.
“If we’re looking for an answer to what is democratic, we must look at the historical devastation experienced by the Alevi people and women. The values we have built cannot be erased,” said Ayla Akat Ata, concluding with a call to action: “The only solution is to organize, organize, organize.”
The panel ended with a Q&A session. Participants reached a consensus on the importance of a united women’s struggle and the necessity of solidarity.
The festival will continue today, Sunday, with various demonstrations and events.
Source: ANF News
