RÛBARÎN BEKIR

Shahba- Civilians and women in the occupied Afrin have been subjected to many rights violations, including arbitrary arrest, all forms of violence and rape, by the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions. The crimes committed by the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions in Afrin cause people to experience many psychological and social problems.

‘The Turkish state commits crimes in Afrin’

Women in Afrin and other areas controlled by the Turkish state have been subjected to many rights violations, said Hehan Elî, a member of the Afrin-Shahba Human Rights Organization. “The Turkish state commits crimes that violate international law and conventions to change the demographic structure and displace people in Afrin. The Turkish-backed factions commit many rights violations despite international conventions protecting women. They use various inhuman methods against people and women, including rape, massacre, torture, blackmail, looting and insults in basements and their secret prisons.”

‘More than 1,200 women have been kidnapped in Afrin’

Hehan Elî also spoke about the statistics of crimes committed against women in Afrin since 2018. “More than 1,200 women have been kidnapped in Afrin since 2018 and the whereabouts of many is not yet known. The number of women subjected to sexual violence in and outside detention centers is over 80. Many women and girls are killed in different ways and all these crimes remain unclear. Some women are killed in the name of ‘honor’.

‘There is an alarming increase in suspicious deaths among women’

Afrin is not a safe place for women anymore, Hehan Elî emphasized. “Women also experience many psychological and social problems due to the chaotic environment caused by the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions in Afrin. Women cannot go out in fear of being killed due to this chaotic environment. People having been kidnapped by Turkish-backed factions suffer from psychological problems. In recent years, there is an alarming increase in suspicious deaths and suicide rates among women in Afrin.”

‘The occupation aims to destroy the values ​​of society’

The people living in Afrin are even asked to pay an amount of money for their olive trees, Hehan Elî said. “The people say that the Turkish-backed factions go unpunished despite committing crimes against them. The occupation of Afrin also paves the way for child marriage; parents marry off their daughters at a young age out of fear of these factions. The occupation in Afrin increases the rates of suicide, divorce, polygamy and child marriage.” 

  

‘The aim of all these violations is to break the will of women’

The Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions commit crimes against humanity in Afrin, Fatima Lakto, a member of the Peoples' Assembly in Shahba, told NuJINHA. “There are human rights organizations documenting the rights violations in Afrin. The aim of all these violations is to break the will of women in Afrin because the Turkish state wants to take revenge on the women who achieved victory against ISIS. The women living in Afrin have been subjected to all forms of violence, including physical and psychological violence.”

Speaking about the recent increase in the suspicious deaths and suicide rates among women in Afrin, she said, “International human rights organizations should take an urgent action to end the crimes committed against civilians, especially women, in Afrin. They should take the necessary attitude against the Turkish state and its factions to protect women’s rights in Afrin.”