‘We will take a firm stand for solidarity and struggle’ 2018-02-12 14:04:11   MARDİN - Mardin Women’s Platform members react to the increase of attacks against women and children as a result of the extension of the state of emergency and they say they will take a firm stand for solidarity and struggle against the pressure as women.   In the last two years, women and children are the most affected people from pressures, dismissal and rights violations arising due to the state of emergency. Mardin Women’s Platform taking action against the pressures calls on all women to unity and struggle.   ‘We will not bow to the AKP’s practices’   Mardin Women’s Platform member and Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Party Assembly member Semire Kurt mentioned that the regime in Turkey has governed the country in the brink of chaos for a long time and she pointed out that the pressures have been carried out on particularly women and children in the last process. Noting that the state of emergency has been used to put pressure on the people, Semire said, “The ruling power has been plunging the country into chaos by arbitrarily extending the state of emergency to intimidate the people. It tries to cover this chaos by attacking Afrin. As women, we will not bow to these practices.”   ‘Women’s gains are wanted to be destroyed’   Indicating that the ruling power has carried out its policies on women, Semire said the ruling power was responsible for the increase femicide rate in 2017. Stating that they will gird up our struggle against the usurpation of women’s gains, Semire continued to talk as follows; “The women are stand up for their gains. Of course we will take the streets to protect women’s rights and to improve democracy. As Mardin Women’s Platform, we will gird up the resistance. We will not accept such approaches and attacks against women. We will strengthen our organization against these dirty policies.”   Another Mardin Women’s Platform member Adalet Kaya stated that the attacks against women and children increase during the state of emergency. Adalet particularly reacted to the statements of the Directorate of Religious Affairs and she said, “We think the Directorate of Religious Affairs should be closed. We will not remain silent against attempts to corrupt society.”   ‘We will take a firm stand for struggle’   Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Mardin Provincial Co-chair and Mardin Women’s Platform member Eylem Amak said, “As women, we are against nine-year-old girls to be forced into marriage. We demand our children to be directed to education not to marriage. And as women, we will do our best for this. We will take a firm stand for solidarity and struggle.”