DİYARBAKIR - Femicide and violence against women have increased after the closure of women’s organizations and association by emergency decrees. Noting that they don’t want to leave the women without alternative, Dicle Amed Women’s Platform member Xecê Şen said, “We will be the alternative of women by flowing in Mesopotamia like the Dicle (Tigris) River.”

 

Women’s organizations, associations, shelters and alternative spaces were closed down by statutory decrees issued under the state of emergency declared in Turkey after on July 15, 2016, coup attempt. Following the closure of women’s organizations, femicide, violence, oppression, sexual abuse crimes against women and children have increased. Women’s gains wanted to be destroyed by emergency decrees issued by the government and the trustees appointed to municipalities held by the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) closed the Department of Women Policies and Women's Directorates affiliated to the municipalities. The first city getting its share from these closures was Diyarbakır. Women gathering from different areas have founded Dicle Amed Women’s Platform with the motto, “We have power to come together and word to say,” in order to make women’s voice heard.  

 

‘We will be alternative’

 

Dicle Amed Women’s Platform member Xecê Şen said that that the Women's Platform is a formation having a major influence on women for many years, “Women have felt a huge gap after the closure of their organizations by which they defended themselves, expressed themselves and found solutions for their problems. In this process, women faced with harassment, sexual assault, violence, oppression, and femicide. We have founded this platform to find solution for women’s problems, to support them and to be their voice. Many women gathered to be an alternative for women.”

 

‘We come together with great enthusiasm’

 

Pointing that they had many reasons to found the platform, Xecê said one of their first reasons was to raise the struggle with different voices and colors of all women. Xecê talked about their second reason as protecting and defending women’s rights due to increasing violence and oppression against women. “For 15 days, we have discussed and worked to find out what we can do together as women. As women, we have gathered under the umbrella of Dicle Amed Women’s Platform with great enthusiasm. We will defend the women’s rights by flowing in Mesopotamia like the Dicle (Tigris) River. We serve as a bridge in arena in Turkey and the international arena,” said Xecê.

 

‘All women’s organizations were closed down’

 

Emphasizing that femicide rates have increased by 1400 percent in the last 10 years of the AKP government, Serap Kılıç-another platform’s member- said the child abuse also increased. “During the state of emergency, closure of women’s organizations, associations, shelters and alternative spaces causes a big gap. Women don’t have any space to go when they face violence; the children don’t have any space to go when they face sexual abuse. We are in an environment in which women’s gains are being destroyed. We have founded an organization consist of women to stop what is going on in our city and region.”

 

Stating that women sociologists and lawyers have also joined the platform, Serap said, “Women sociologists and lawyers have also joined the platform. We will support the women and children through the platform.”