Amed – In an effort to strengthen women’s role in urban life, the Amed Metropolitan Municipality (Diyarbakır) organized a conference titled “Towards Women’s Cities” on Saturday, November 8, at the Chand Amed Conference Center. The event was attended by prominent figures, including Ceydem Kilcan Uçar, co-chair of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), representatives from the Free Women’s Movement (TJA), the Peace Mothers Association, as well as members of civil society organizations and local citizens.

In her opening speech, Sera Bocak, the co-mayor of Amed Metropolitan Municipality, emphasized that women’s struggle continues in all spheres of life, praising the resilience of women who stand firm against the patriarchal system:

“I salute every woman who fights for her rights and thank everyone who contributed to the success of this conference. The Kurdish women’s movement has a long history of struggle, and many continue this path with unbreakable determination.”

She explained that over the past two years, the municipality has been working on developing a new organizational model aimed at empowering women, announcing plans to present a “new and stronger roadmap” to achieve this goal.

Bocak noted that the concept of “Women’s Cities” is not new but had been implemented before and faced systematic attacks by the authorities, stressing that this time the experience will be more resilient:

“Cities have changed women’s relationship with nature. In the villages, women led an integrated lifestyle, but the shift to urban life exposed the hierarchical system’s impact on them. From here, a local, democratic, participatory, and emancipatory struggle emerged.”

She concluded by affirming that the main goal today is to build cities that guarantee equality, safety, and freedom for women, emphasizing that collective struggle is the key to overcoming systems that marginalize women.

It is worth noting that the conference sessions are ongoing but closed to the media