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New Report: Women Human Rights Defenders in Kurdish Regions of Turkey

May 9, 2012 by rojwomen.com

A research delegation set off in 2011 to learn more about the risks and challenges that women human rights defenders endure in Kurdish regions of Turkey. Today Roj Women’s Association is proud to share ‘A woman’s struggle: Using gender lenses to understand the plight of women human rights defenders in Kurdish regions of Turkey‘.

 We hope the study helps to shed light on the multiplicity of obstacles women  who engage in the defence of human rights and peaceful political activism suffer at the hands of Turkish state agents in the region. Please, do circulate to your networks and let us know your comments and questions. We have a limited number of printed copies available; please, get in touch to request one.

Posted in Kurdish feminism, Kurdish women, Political Activism, Political prisoners, women's rights Turkey | Leave a Comment »

The Kurdish Women’s Office for Peace sends an appeal for support to the Women’s Academy in Amed/Diyarbakir

May 2, 2012 by rojwomen.com

For several years now, women’s academies and centres have been established in North Kurdistan in cooperation with women’s organisations and the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP). Until now the public outside Turkey has known little about this. The Kurdish Women’s Office for Peace would like to visit the women’s academies and centres with a delegation of women in order to get to know these projects, to enable exchanges, and to learn from each other.

 The “Women’s Academy Diyarbakir” is one of the projects that we would like to visit. It was founded on 30th June 2010 in the district of Sur in the Kurdish city of Amed (Diyarbakir in Turkish). This academy investigates “the reality”, so that it is possible to change and reform the current conditions using our knowledge, as well as the new knowledge we acquire. In the academies there is no strict separation of roles between the “students” and the “teachers”. The Women’s Academy explains that: ‘By passing on further what we have learned ourselves, we can be liberated from dependence and oppression, in order to work towards the creation of a good life and a free society.’

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Kurdish Women: Resilience In The Face Of Double Discrimination

April 16, 2012 by rojwomen.com

Source: AWID, by Kathambi Kinoti

Kurdish women's rights activists at the Mesopotayma Social Festival

Kurds living in Turkey mainly inhabit the East and South-East of Turkey. They are the largest ethnic minority in the country and since the establishment of modern Turkey they have been marginalized and oppressed.

This article is part of a series of Friday Files to explore some of the issues and debates related to the AWID 2012 Forum theme and draw the connections between women’s rights issues and economic power. For news, articles and information about Turkey click here.

The Kurdish ethnic group historically inhabited Kurdistan, an area now divided between the modern states of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria.  Kurds form about 20% of Turkey’s population. Since the formation of the state of Turkey, Kurds in Turkey have faced marginalization  and suppression of their cultural identity and a very severe assimilation policy. In 1984 the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) launched an armed uprising against the Turkish state demanding an independent Kurdish homeland. Thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in the conflict that followed.  From time to time, there has been a lull in the fighting, but to date there has been no final resolution to the conflict. [i]

AWID asked two Kurdish women about the unique challenges that Kurdish women face in securing equality rights as part of a marginalized group. Dr. Handan Çağlayan[ii] is an independent researcher and writer while Nurcan Baysal[iii] is an activist working on rural development.

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If you are Kurdish or Turkish woman looking for work, we can help you

March 29, 2012 by rojwomen.com

Roj Women’s Association works to empower Kurdish women who have migrated to London and has a wealth of expertise in community development, gender and ethnic minorities’ issues and service provision

Community consultations and many years of experience providing services have evidenced that Kurdish women face multiple barriers to employment. In the latest consultation conducted in Hackney and Haringey 55% were looking for a job but found it difficult to get into employment. To help Kurdish and Turkish women into employment we offer free one to one tailored job advice and support for the unemployed (see leaflet). Sessions can be booked at flexible times and they include:

- Assistance with CV and application forms writing and interview preparation

- Career guidance

- Identification of appropriate work placements and job vacancies

- Identification of training opportunities and assistance to enrol in and complete the course

- Group trainings, and more.

Roj Women’s Association is a one-stop shop where, in addition to employment advice and support, Kurdish women can get free:

- General legal advice

- Parenting classes

- Folk dancing and singing lessons

- And many opportunities for recreation and networking

Email us to rojwomen[at]gmail.com to find out how we can help you and to book an appointment. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

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Roj Women is recruiting for an Employment Advisor

March 1, 2012 by rojwomen.com

Roj Women is now looking at expanding its team to launch new services to support unemployed Kurdish women in London.

We are recruiting a one year long position to give advice and guidance on a part-time basis.  See Job Description below for more details. Those interested, please submit CV, cover letter and equal opportunities form by 6 pm on 19th March to rojwomen@gmail.com. Interviews will take place on Thursday 22nd March.

Employment Advisor Job Vacancy

Equal Opportunities Form

 

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Celebrate International Women’s Day with us

March 1, 2012 by rojwomen.com

Everybody is welcome to join for a day of celebrations for Women’s Day on Saturday 10th March.

Roj Women will march through Haringey to share our message with members of our community and to invite them to join the women’s struggle. After the march, we will continue celebrating with Kurdish music and dance by Venge Dur (Sounds of the Far), Govenda Asiti (Dance of Peace), Koma Zelal and Roj Women’s Choir. Delicious Kurdish food will be available at the Kurdish Community Centre. Come along and bring your friends!

Posted in Kurdish women | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

Solidarity to support women human rights defenders in Turkish Kurdistan

February 9, 2012 by rojwomen.com

Women’s solidarity work crosses national, ethnic, religious and tribal boundaries and demonstrates what solidarity is.  

An article by Alexandra Lort Phillips, member of Roj Women’s Association

Women’s networks show us that solidarity means understanding, sharing information, developing understandings and agendas, meeting together, communicating, supporting each other’s work, raising awareness, taking action and working in unity.  Lessons from women’s solidarity work inform all solidarity movements; indeed equality rights are inseparable from gender rights.  In this article it is shown how women’s networks can cooperate effectively to complete work, in this instance a piece of research into gendered violations of women human rights defenders in South East Turkey in a context of political and violent conflict, framed by the long-standing feminist concerns about the legitimisation of surveillance, militarization and war.

In March 2011 four researchers representing a London-based women’s association, Roj Women, travelled to South East Turkey in order to interview women human rights defenders.

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Posted in Gender violence, Kurdish feminism, Kurdish women | Leave a Comment »

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