MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

 Amed (Diyarbakır)- The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) won the municipality in Piran (Dicle) district of Amed in the local elections held in Turkish and Kurdish cities on March 31, 2024. The co-mayors of the municipality reopened the Women's Life Center, which was closed down by the state-appointed mayor, after hearing the demands and problems of the people.

NuJINHA spoke to Aysel Baran, Co-mayor of Piran, about their projects and works.

 “Four months have passed since the elections,” Aysel Baran said. “After winning the municipality, we saw that only men came to the municipality, voicing their problems, expressing their opinions and suggestions. Since women did not come to the municipality, we decided to visit them in neighborhoods and villages. We held women’s gatherings, hearing their demands. One of the women’s demands was the reopening of the Women’s Life Center. The center is a space for women to come together and meet their basic needs.”

 ‘We will hold workshops and gatherings’

Aysel Baran told us that they would hold workshops and gatherings for women at the center. “After we reopened the center, we had positive feedback from women. Now, women have a space. This center is a space to solve the problems faced by women in the district. We continue to hear the demands and problems of the women in the districts by organizing a women’s gathering once a week. We want to put many projects into practice together with the women of the district. We will keep holding workshops and gatherings for women at the center.”

‘We will increase women’s participation in the labor force’

Many projects will be put into practice by the center. “When trustees were appointed to the municipalities in 2016, they first targeted women’s organizations. For eight years, the women of the district received no services from the municipality. The women of the district want to participate in the labor force. They demanded us to create jobs for them. The economic crisis affects women the most.  We are planning to open a women’s market in the district to increase women’s participation in the labor force. Our biggest goal is to find solutions to the problems faced by women by hearing the demands of women. In addition, we will organize activities on art and culture and language. We are planning to open language courses in Kurmancî and Kurmanckî, two dialects of Kurdish language.”