In order to address the question of what role young women play as internationalists today, we must first look at the general situation young women’s live in.
The reality of young women is first of all the union of two identities: that of youth and that of women.
In the Kurdish Freedom Movement, the role of women and youth, especially young women for the revolution is emphasized. Young women live the attributes of youth.
In history, the strength of the youth has been captured and put into the service of the plans of the oppressors. But even today, every young person will ask herself once in what reality she lives, and if she awakens in herself the spirit of youth, she will question reality and go on a new search. Because youth is on the one hand a great force and energy, on the other hand it is exploited by the system. Today, monopolies and exploitative practices that are wrongly called economy have been expanded more than ever. These forces of the monopolies, the bourgeoisie enslave the physical strength and mental creative power of the youth and put them at their service to produce mainly things that destroy the environment and the livelihood of society.
Another characteristic of young women is to be a woman. Their situation today has been burdened with very serious difficulties. In the Kurdish Freedom Movement, it is analysed that after the Neolithic period, a reality was created in which the woman was more and more enslaved and thus represents the first colony in history. Today, everything a woman can produce, everything she lives is exploited, even her body and the life she can give to a child is robbed and has been put at the service of the capitalist system. The woman is in a situation where, in many places around the world, she can no longer decide anything and is ultimately subject to the will of the ruling class. Her mentality has also been enslaved and something we can call a classic oppressed woman has been created, living the attributes that the forces of exploitation and oppression demand of her. The woman has become an identity where she may have lost all awareness of her reality and even agreed to her oppression and willingly serves the system.
Especially the situation of young women in capitalist modernity is difficult, because they live the reality of youth and women and are exploited on all levels, including physical, mental and sexual exploitation and oppression.
On the other hand, we can also see the reality of a democratic history. At first we said that the consciousness of young women was heavily enslaved and put in the service of the system. But we can also see another side of reality. In women there is still great potential and resources for strong resistance. Today we see that all over the world women in different movements are becoming important voices and protesting for example in the name of an ecological life. They take a big part in the resistance against the exploitation of youth, women and nature. Young women are exploited on many levels, have to work without a break in the service of the system and are controlled and regulated by their families. They are in a difficult situation, but they can also provide the strongest response of resistance. Young women can also develop a leading perspective for the revolutionary struggle. It is necessary to understand their contradictions. They can play a key role in the struggle for democratic modernity.
Some of the characteristics that are perhaps seen as weaknesses in the capitalist system today can also be understood as remnants of a Neolithic, democratic society. As a remnant of societies in which the role of women was central and leading. We can perhaps say today that women have more emotional intelligence, but this too is beginning to weaken. But what is emotional intelligence, for example? An understanding of the situation you are in and of people and nature. The connection to your own situation, whereas analytical intelligence is more of an abstraction. Therefore, analytical intelligence can be used negatively or positively because it has been abstracted. But today in the capitalist system, emotions have also been enslaved. It is important not to confuse enslaved emotions with emotional intelligence. When we see today, for example, what kind of emotions are lived and propagated: for example, the love of the system, then these are artificial emotions that have been created on a superficial level in people and enslave people even more. The emotions that are emphasized in the capitalist system are superficial and artificial, they often take on an extreme character and are oriented towards liberal, individualistic ideas. Perhaps there are a multitude of emotions and ideas in a person, but if, for example, a woman is constantly being told that she is weak, then she will feel weak at some point, just as after a thousand propaganda actions for the love of the system, perhaps such a superficial selfish love will also be perceived as real. What is understood today, for example, as love between man and woman, is a basis for strong individualism and self-interest. It is mainly oriented towards the self-interest of the patriarchal man, but it also generally propagates a competition-burdened anti-societal idea of living together with other people. Let’s look at what, for example, is analysed today by feminist movements, as well as by the Kurdish freedom movement, as rape-culture. Rape is a means of total control and violence. Especially on a mental level it expresses the total domination of the patriarchy over women or parts of society considered weaker, like children or in some developments also male youth. When we see young women perhaps saying that they love men who do the worst of all things to them, then we see the disease of these artificial emotions that have been created. These must be questioned and overcome.
It is necessary to create a revolutionary ethics and aesthetics instead of the given one. An expression of a free coexistence of people. We must create an ethics and aesthetics that create freedom. It is necessary that we carry a great historical responsibility on our shoulders. For example, if we believe in patriarchy, if we continue to consider ourselves weak, at the mercy of others and not revolutionaries, we will not be able to develop answers for the situation of young women or for society.
When we look at society, it also finds a number of democratic expressions at the level of emotions. For example, if young people are locked up in schools and trained to become cadres of the system, there are many young people who would even defend this on a rational level, but on an emotional level would go a long way and try to free themselves from this situation. If rational and emotional intelligence would be reunited, the youth would quickly organize an uprising, because they would realize that this education is not organized in their sense and for the best of society, but should prepare them for the reality of the capitalist system.
In the capitalist system all the efforts and work of the youth are exploited. Even the work of a health worker is organized for profit. On the other hand, a multitude of contradictions will arise. In the capitalist system, these works are not conducted according to the needs of society. Because of this, there will always be democratic uprisings. There is still a certain intelligence in society to reject things based on moralic understanding.
Today, for example, the uprising against climate destruction shows to a certain extent that there is still a knowledge in society that says that something like this must be stopped. That it’s not for the benefit of society to destroy its livelihood. There are a lot of efforts around the world to create a democratic modernity.
The Kurdish Freedom Movement is the biggest and most developing force in the struggle against the capitalist system and for democratic development in the Middle East.
When the Kurdish Freedom Movement was founded, Turkish comrades participated in this struggle from the beginning and started it, and comrades from Europe participated in this struggle from early on when they heard about it. From the beginning, it was clear that the liberation of Kurdistan and the struggle that emerged in the movement is not something that only concerns Kurdistan. It is a part of a general struggle for truth and the freedom of the people. When we see today, for example, what role women play in this struggle, it has become an inspiration for women all over the world. It is something very sacred to see how this struggle gives women all over the world strength so that they can develop and express their will. However, it has taken a while for women to build such a strong struggle. But from the very beginning women have participated in the struggle and have also taken on the role of heroines. Not only in Kurdistan all over the world women have taken a decisive responsibility in revolutionary struggles, with an attitude that does not accept failure, does not leave the option to compromise with the patriarchal and capitalist system. A struggle has been fought, although it is perhaps clear that it will take more than a generation to develop an alternative and overcome the patriarchal system. Maybe it will take a long time, but even knowing this, women continued to fight and saw no other option. In this spirit, the Kurdish liberation movement has also taken an organized form. The leader of the Kurdish Liberation Movement Abdullah Ocalan has emphasized the importance of the women’s struggle from the beginning, but in the beginning, women participated in the organization mainly in general, and saw some difficulties in being able to participate on the same level as male friends who did not completely overcome their backward-looking attitudes. But what we can see is that these friends were absolutely loyal to the struggle they were fighting and did not give themselves the option of falling back into the capitalist system or the hands of the enemy. They were deeply searching for an alternative and could not accept the given reality. Later, many women saw themselves fighting in this way and joined the organisation, so that the women’s guerrilla could be founded. Later, various women’s organizations were founded in the society. From the beginning, probably mainly young women joined the guerilla. Their spirit was open to develop and become a socialist personality.
Today, when we look at Europe, for example, the oppressive bond of families still plays a strong role, but there are also many breaks within society and families that are slowly dissolving. The society is not so strongly formed and is replaced with an extreme form of individualism. There is a deeper form of exploitation of women than ever. Because they are exploited and take part in the actions and workings of the system. Perhaps they even receive material goods or so-called recognition from the system. Today, even in the exploitative enterprises, women are sometimes involved. Even in fascist forces, which in the end are most strongly directed against women, women have participated in some cases. Women have been brought into a different reality.
Today, in the capitalist system, women are also an agent of the capitalist system. There is also, for example, the analysis that the workers in Europe get something from the capitalist system to a large extent and therefore agree to their exploitation. They can, for example, continue to exploit women. In this way they remain a part of the system and maintain the power of those monopolies which exploit themselves.
The understanding of the reality a young woman has today under the influence of the capitalist system can also be very far away from her actual reality. She may even volunteer to advertise herself and it is understood by a generation of youth as the most inspiring way to sell herself and products through her own Instagram account. This example alone must be well understood. What the capitalist system does to the mentality of young women is to create a terrible competition. It creates a mentality that whatever you do, whatever you look like or whatever you create can never be good enough. A mentality not to believe in yourself. A search for the recognition of the capitalist system. This is given, for example, to those who themselves become an advertisement for the system. For example a model, why does a woman who is insulted by the system want to become a model? She wants recognition, but is completely objectified in the process and can then also objectify against others and consider herself better. The boundaries of subject and object change rapidly, but remain an expression of oppression.
We have seen how a pathological reality is created. This is most strongly propagated by the means of propaganda of capitalist modernity, by the media. This is the most effective way to create an enslaved mentality. When the mentality is so enslaved, the system can even create alternatives that are superficially a solution, but in reality are nothing more than the life of capitalist modernity. For example, if I now create a youth culture like dying my hair colorfull and consider this to be an alternative, because I cause negative reactions of the society, then this shows that I have eaten the lie of capitalist modernity, that it is the society that oppresses me. This is an interesting lie. The system says there that society is the force of oppression. But what is the reality? In society, the power of the monopolies and the patriarchal nature is also expressed, but society is not the root of the problems but their solution. As far as we become a democratic society, so far we become free. But individualism has been created as the lie that it is the society that is bad. This lie is believed most in Central, Northern Europe, North America and some other parts of the world, here we can see its strongest expression. To overcome this thinking, for example, the distrust of society must be overcome. Because negative influences also find their expression in society, but these must be overcome instead of simply negating them and agreeing with individualistic responses of the system. Overcoming this lie is one of the most important keys to freedom, especially for young women. One of the most necessary steps for young women is to understand the reality to which their societies have been brought. We need a solution. The proposal of democratic confederalism can so far be considered the greatest solution proposed and implemented.
To become a society is the essence of humanity. All the apparatuses of oppression – the state, monopolies and positivist science – only rob society of all its power. Without society they would not be possible either, but they put society in a weak situation. With all this exploitation, contradictions will also arise. Perhaps many have values, love, strength that come from society, but their mentality is at the service of capitalist forces. Young women will be forced to put themselves in a form where they will carry out work that is not for themselves and that is not carried out in a moral way, but in the sense of monopolies. This will lead to contradictions. Like the destruction of nature, for example.
We must also understand what reality positivism has created. It is like a religious mantra of capitalist modernity, it separates itself from any emotional intelligence and only takes note of what is measurable, it rejects any form of knowledge through mythologies or through thinking. This thinking is spread in the educational institutions of the states until the youth has hardly any other thought. If a young woman liberates herself, for example, from the dogma of positivism and false ideas or the search for solutions in classical emotionally enslaving relationships, she will release a great revolutionary force within herself. A Young Woman may go on a search for truth and will change very quickly. In the world, young women have often been able to play key roles in revolutionary organizations.
But this is not a simple matter. Perhaps patriarchal attitudes are lived on in many organizations, especially when it is not considered necessary to live one’s own revolutionary values practically. It is also often not easy for them to escape from their families. A heavy burden of guilt is placed on young women to cope with the enslaving emotions in a family. Therefore the relationships within families must be well understood. The system weakens young women, their minds, because in the end they are the greatest danger for the monopolies of exploitation. If we were to stop the means of propaganda of exploitation and the heavy influence of families for just a short while, if every young woman in the world were to step out of all this for just a short time, then she would see her true colour and strength for the first time.
If we give our whole life to the capitalist system, we will not overcome it. It must be rejected completely. Apart from that, it is necessary to create a new reality. In the reality that the Kurdish freedom struggle represents, young women have taken a key role. For example, they were the commanders of the uprisings of cities that were loved by the whole society and they planned and carried out important actions. The actions of this struggle can take place on many levels. Every little statement of truth, against capitalist modernity and patriarchy is already an action, but it can also take stronger and organized forms. The stronger and more organised we act, the more we will attract young women to our struggle. For example, if we choose clear and meaningful actions, we will influence young women. If we want to take steps, we need to plan our actions well and creatively, then we will in turn inspire others. This is also the reality of actions. The struggle of young women in the Kurdish Freedom Movement, in the Young Women’s Movement has been professionalized to a great extent. It is led with the spirit of internationalism, not on a superficial level, but so that every young woman knows that the struggle she is waging is against patriarchy, against the colonial forces is for all the oppressed. It is necessary that this struggle spreads all over the world at all levels and finds answers. To spread this struggle is also a question of organisation and actions. We have to bring organization to the front. We must promote an alternative, strengthen society, start a great search for truth. Because there is a great potential for truth in women, if we combine analytical and emotional intelligence, a great search for truth can be found. For today’s revolutionary organizations, whether many or few women are already working in them: it is our first duty to strengthen the struggle and organization of Young Women. As much as we organize ourselves and unite our ideology and search for truth on a deeper level, we will succeed.
We must follow this path with full determination. When we understand the reality of the Young Women, we also see that their struggle must be internationalist by its very nature. Young women will play their role in the construction of a democratic youth confederalism worldwide in a leading responsibility.