What kind of self-defence in the economic sphere?

 

NEWS CENTRE - The Kurdish Women's Movement, which considers organisation in the economic sphere as an important pillar of self-defence in women's struggle against all forms of oppression and violence against them, puts forward an important perspective.

 

Discussions on the line and methods of women's self-defence against violence and massacres, and in which areas it is needed, have been one of the most important issues on the agenda in recent years. 

 

The Kurdish Women's Movement's discussions on this issue are quite topical. Self-defence in the economic sphere occupies a striking place in the discussion and perspective developed by the Kurdish Women's Movement on the need and indispensability of self-defence in all areas of social life.

 

As we move towards 25 November, the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we have discussed the economic dimension of the Kurdish Women's Movement's self-defence debates in this part of our compilation.

 

Economy includes a strong organisation and self-defence

 

Another important field in which women can organise their own self-defence is the economic field. Within the framework of democratic autonomy, the economy is an area where women need to develop a strong perspective and practice, and it requires a strong organisation and self-defence.

 

It is of vital importance for women to develop the economy as a social field first and foremost, both as a great ground for struggle and as a great area of freedom.

 

Developing and taking a stance locally against the capitalist economy

 

It is necessary to develop a strong social attitude against the policies of the economy, which is an area where capitalism has almost reoccupied Kurdistan, to create monopolistic markets by dismantling the agricultural village structure, small businesses and local initiatives, and to establish dominance by playing with prices from giant supermarket chains.

 

The sale of organic agricultural products based on self-sufficient local markets, the conscious development of a culture that boycotts such initiatives and sales by taking a de facto stance against monopolistic enterprises and markets, as well as ensuring that hormonal foods from outside are not allowed into neighbourhoods and cities, constitute a very comprehensive field of struggle.

 

It is important to make local plans, set targets and create comprehensive action plans at the local level. Taking a stand against all kinds of monopolies is of great economic value.

 

There is an example in the world

 

There are some experiences of struggle that can serve as examples in this regard. For example, for years a group of indigenous farmers in the municipality of Tumbala in northern Chiapas have had a project supported by the Zapatistas and other social organisations. Against the large-scale development project initiated by the state in order to strengthen its monopoly of power, the local farmers said: ‘It is not fought with aeroplanes and bombs, but it is still the cold war...

 

This is the war of low prices, it is killing us, but we will continue to fight. We have to create our own plans to defend ourselves’, showing the great resistance to protect the local economy. Local farmers are resisting against this project, which aims to collapse the economy of local people and ensure the domination of global monopolies.

 

Conscious economic behaviour is self-defence

 

In this context, it is an important matter of self-defence to support local, small and medium-sized enterprises in the face of large economic investments and monopolistic enterprises developed by the state; to develop a conscious and preferential economic attitude as a social initiative.

 

Approaching all state investment and development projects - even the simplest base station - with scepticism, seeing the underlying power objectives and becoming conscious about them; engaging in an economic struggle should be considered within the scope of self-defence. To this end, it is necessary to organise cooperatives, develop collective entrepreneurship, and aim to advance communal group initiatives in their own field.

 

A planned and targeted approach

 

Women's organisation and initiative on this issue, and a planned and targeted approach, will become an important area where an anti-monopoly and anti-capitalist stance will develop and spread, as in the fields of health and education. In this direction, there is a need for comprehensive self-defence organisations in the economic field.

 

Tomorrow: Rejecting masculine organisation