TEWAR PÊNCEWÎN

Sulaymaniyah- Tara Hisên, Co-chair of Tevgera Azadi (Freedom Movement) known for its works for women for years, spoke to NuJINHA about their works in 2021 and their plans and aims for 2022.

Emphasizing that 2021 was a difficult year for Iraq and Federal Kurdistan Region and that women carried more burdens, Tara Hisên said, “In fact, it was a year in which women were pioneers. Women were on the front lines of all protests.”

“Women’s activism was at the forefront”

Recalling that the general elections of Iraq were held in 2021, Tara Hisên emphasized that women could be more active and that the elections were actually symbolic elections. “Throughout 2021, Iraq had political and economic problems and difficulty in forming a new government. Women can solve these problems with their will,” Tara Hisên said. Noting that Iraq has suffered from the same problems since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Tara Hisên said, “Turkey’s interference in Iraq’s internal affairs caused the instability not in Iraq but also all neighboring states.”

The effect of women's actions on decision-making mechanisms

Stating that there is no common stance in the country's administration, she said, “This situation affects women the most. The political rivalry between Sunnis and Shiites continues, and the economic and social competition continues. Women should make more efforts to break the patriarchal structure and to participate in decision-making processes in the country. In 2021, women and NGOs were more active but this is insufficient. We need a common struggle raising the voices of people and women. In 2021, women’s actions had an important influence on decision-making mechanisms.”

Call to stop Turkey’s military operations

Speaking about Turkey’s military operations initiated on April 23 and the protests against the operations, Tara Hisên said, “The protests intensified particularly during the occupations of Metine, Hafta and Zap regions. During these protests against Turkey’s military operations, women made the voices of people heard all around the world. We call on Turkey to stop their military operations on our region.”

Kurdish-Arab dialogue

Speaking about the conference called “Towards a Successful Kurdish-Arab Dialogue” held in Baghdad on December 11, Tara Hisên said, “More than 100 writers, politicians, and academics from Shengal, Iraq, and Kurdistan Region attended the conference. The conference was an important step in forming a democratic front.”

Recalling the arrest of three women activists by the KDP after they attended the commemoration event held in Shengal for the anniversary of the genocide against Yazidis by ISIS on August 3, 2014, Tara Hisên said that they were released after being tortured.”

Call to struggle together

Emphasizing that they will keep struggling in 2022, Tara Hisên said, “We, as women, will continue to be at the forefront in the struggle against the colonialists, occupants, their local collaborators, and male mentality. We will continue to raise our voices. I call on all women to struggle together to break the patriarchal system.”