Figen Aras The best self-defence is organisation

 

Dilan Babat

 

AMED - As the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women approaches, women once again emphasise the importance of self-defence, organisation and solidarity. Figen Aras from the Women's Academy said, "The best self-defence of women is to come together as women and organise. It is important to spread and institutionalise this organisation’ and added that women develop a strong defence mechanism against violence through solidarity. Figen Aras stated that a free and equal life is possible under the leadership of women in the 21st century.

 

As the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women approaches, women are drawing attention to the importance of self-defence, organisation and solidarity in every field. As violence against women is increasing and reaching the level of ‘genocide’, self-defence awareness is being adopted more and more as a means of collective resistance. Women's organisations and non-governmental organisations organise trainings, workshops and seminars for women to defend themselves physically and psychologically; through these activities, information is provided on many issues ranging from legal rights to support mechanisms against violence.

 

At the same time, women aim to raise awareness against violence against women through social solidarity networks and campaigns. In co-operation with local governments, steps are taken to increase the number of shelters and to ensure the effective implementation of legal regulations. Women continue to raise their voices not only for their own safety, but also for the freedom and equality of all women through their determined struggle at individual and social levels.

 

In this section of our dossier, we discussed the importance of self-defence with Figen Aras from the Women's Academy.

 

What is self-defence?

 

Figen Aras said that the concept of self-defence is the state of the being to protect itself against external attacks, and noted that this is not unique to humans, but is a valid situation for all beings in the universe. Figen Aras said, "If an entity wants to live, it goes into a state of defence against killing or attack. This is also in the dialectic itself. There is the saying ‘the thorn of the rose’; this is to defend the rose itself. We see self-defence more as a state of self-protection against physical violence and assault. Women's self-defence does not mean defending their own body or life against attacks from men or the state alone; such a definition is insufficient. Consciousness means developing a defence mechanism with one's whole being, thought, practice, behaviour, decisions and will against any attack on one's life, existence and identity. Self-defence can take place in the case of a slap or an armed attack. However, self-defence also comes into play in cases of verbal and psychological violence. In situations such as being forced to obey, being belittled, being cut off from life, we women have to create our own self-defence."

 

The importance of self-defence for women

 

 When we look at the 21st century, Figen Aras emphasised that there is a serious attack on women's identity as a sum of thousands of years and pointed out that these attacks are not limited to the murder of tens of women every day. Figen Aras said, "Rape, harassment, abduction... All these are physical attacks. Especially recently, with a thousand and one types of killing, a message such as ‘women are worthy of being killed, they have justifications’ is wanted to be given. In addition to this, there are both physical violence and attacks in all areas of life aimed at detaching women from life and preventing them from thinking. These attacks are developed through special policies. In such a system where sexism is reinforced, starting with the education of children, continuing with the use of the media, reflected in TV series and fashion, there is all kinds of violence against women. It is very important to expose this violence and define it correctly. Sometimes it is said, ‘So what, she slapped me’; however, the issue is not just a beating or a slap, but the fact that a dominant man sees a woman as a slave and a commodity. He says to that woman, ‘You are mine, I am your owner’ and realises the policies of taking over all kinds of violence."

 

War policy against women's identity

 

Figen Aras continued her words as follows: "Today, we are facing serious physical violence. This violence manifests itself not only in its physical dimension but also in legal and economic aspects. Today we are talking about a terrible poverty of women. Women are forced into prostitution because they have children to take care of and they have to survive. We are confronted with the reality of women who face not only physical violence but all kinds of violence. So, how should we define all this violence and where should we put it? This violence actually develops through special policies and is legitimised through policies of impunity. Men know very well that the system itself legitimises this when they kill, commit violence and rape women; either they will be forgiven or their sentences will be reduced. Violence against women is a war policy against women's identity. In world wars, death tolls are announced every day. Today, women's deaths are announced every day. If we are faced with these statistics that do not stop, do not end and are constantly increasing, we can say that there is a war. The other side is strong, because it has weapons, it has taken over ideologically; but when we look at it in terms of women's identity, we are faced with an identity that is wanted to be completely dependent. Women who oppose this are either wanted to be murdered, raped or isolated from society. This can be considered as a war."

 

Moral, political society

 

Pointing out that human beings are social beings and that societies must have life values in order to survive and sustain their lives, Figen Aras said: "The creation of these life values must be based on a moral and political foundation. Societies that can make their own decisions, create their own values and govern themselves are societies that are very close to freedom. However, societies need self-defence against systems that touch the essence and reality of these societies. Self-defence is not only defence against physical violence; it is self-defence by protecting its own culture, language, moral and political structure. All systems, especially capitalist modernity, want to break up and conquer societies that protect their own essence and vital resources. These societies are representatives of natural society. Natural society is the greatest enemy of capitalist modernity because it harbours equality, freedom, democracy, women's freedom and a balance and equality in the relations between men and women. Why does the dominant male attack? He attacks the moral values that have been taught. This is done through special war policies. These attacks sometimes occur in a very recognisable form; sometimes they occur in the form of models that creep in unnoticed."

 

‘How to live’

 

Stating that some of these models are drugs, prostitution or making the individual addicted to digital media, Figen Aras explained the reason why the system resorts to them as follows: ‘When the individual is enslaved by these addictions, he cannot think, see and search for himself and his truth. The main purpose of capitalist modernity and the male-dominated mentality is to fragment the truth of sociality. A society whose truth is shattered forgets its own moral-political structure, loses and drifts. When these policies are evaluated on the basis of democracy, freedom, equality between men and women and free cohabitation, it is very important to develop a defence. What kind of defence can be developed? First of all, it is necessary to develop a defence in the mind, in the ideological sense. ‘How do we want to live?’, what is freedom itself, what is the freedom of society? This policy and mentality needs to be institutionalised.

 

As institutionalisation develops in society, defences against general attacks can be repelled much more easily. As the institutionalisation of drugs for youth increases, as the institutionalisation of women's poverty and violence against women increases, the existence of institutions to which the individual can turn becomes more important. The individual's change and transformation in mentality is an institutionalisation. It is necessary to mobilise this. It is very important to seek that change in mentality in the whole society by talking, discussing and searching together for the question of ‘how to live’. This process starts with children. Child education is a process that determines how we will build our lives. Those children will grow up and assume certain roles. The source of problems lies in sociality; the reason why we see this is to produce and institutionalise serious policies against those policies as beings who create sociality."

 

Self-defence in gynecology

 

Figen Aras stated that those who follow the discussions on Jineology and the journal Jineoloji, which has been published for ten years, can easily see that ‘Self-defence is not only a reaction to physical violence’ and added: "Owning your own knowledge, researching your own history and being able to name it is also self-defence. When someone who says ‘I am me’ is attacked, there will be a defence. Naming itself is also an attack; it is an ideological attack. One of the most frequently discussed topics in the journal and workshops on gynecology is what is the main ideological reason underlying the attacks. When we look at it both historically and currently, the grounds for women to meet, meet and exist with their own truth are on a ground that the male-dominated system is trying to dismantle. The liberated woman is an obstacle to capitalist modernity, religionism and militarism. Self-defence must be seen in consciousness, principles and being oneself; it is necessary to institutionalise and organise the state of being oneself. We are making evaluations and discussions on enlarging this state of organisation through struggle."

 

‘Organising is the best defence of women’

 

Lastly, Figen Aras shared the following message on 25 November: "The best self-defence of women is to organise together as women. It is important to spread and institutionalise this organisation. It is important to see that all women in the world are at a point where they are ready to be attacked with their identity as women, and to know that the form of violence inflicted on every woman is inflicted on ourselves. It is important to take precautions against physical violence and to succeed in organising and institutionalising on the basis of freedom. It is very valuable to take action together and to discuss confederal systems where all women of the world can come together. If there is a possibility of an attack on all of us at any moment, it is very valuable to discuss the reasons for this and to create common grounds for struggle. The determination that the 21st century will be the ‘year of women’ is also very valuable. If on the one hand we focus on these goals and on the other hand we think that women should be enlightened and society should experience this enlightenment, it is of great importance to be united in ideology, organisation and action. There are no obstacles in front of us; we know that bringing our pains, experiences and hopes together, holding on to life, will collapse the male-dominated system and replace it with an egalitarian, libertarian life that we call democratic modernity. This is possible under the leadership of women in the 21st century."