BERJÎN KARA

Makhmour- The Jineology Committee was established in the Makhmour Martyr Rustem Cudi Camp (Makhmour Refugee Camp) in 2016. Since it was established, the committee has been carrying out many awareness-raising activities for women.

Conducting research on women’s history, writing, political, social and economic participation, the committee has been organizing training courses for its members twice a week for three years.

Courses in neighborhoods and schools

NuJINHA spoke to Filiz Budak, Co-chair of the People's Assembly and one of the administrators of the committee, about the committee’s purpose and activities. The committee organizes courses in neighborhoods and schools, she said. “The committee organizes training courses on the system based on democracy, writings of leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan), women’s history, the reality of women and women’s roles in society.”

‘The committee aims to change mindset’

The Jineology Committee in Makhmour Refugee Camp published a book telling the lives of women in the camp.

“We also organize courses on Jineology and women’s history. It has been organizing training courses for its members twice a week for three years. The committee aims to change mindset by organizing awareness-raising activities and courses in the camp. The women attending the courses watch documentaries and films on women’s history, struggle and existence.”

Research on the history of Kurdistan

The women attending the courses also read books on the history of Kurdistan, Filiz Budak told us. “During our last course, women read and discussed Martyr Helmet's book on the history of Kurdistan. The book is about the Kurdish language, the Kurdish struggle for freedom and Kurdish uprisings in the history and the history of the PKK. At the courses, women discuss how Kurdish political parties and organizations rose up and the roles of women in those uprisings. They also discuss the policies carried out in Kurdistan and how women have struggled against these policies.”

 ‘Education is a step towards freedom’

Rojin Turan, a member of the Jineology Committee in Makhmour, thinks that education is an important role towards freedom. “It is an important step towards freedom, especially for women’s freedom. The education programs on Jineology help women make a difference in their lives because Jineology literally means the science of women. Jineology aims to take back the stolen rights of women.”

Rojin Turan also told us why she decided to be a member of the committee. “I saw how women were oppressed in society so I decided to be a member of the committee to change this. I attended the courses of the committee so that I would not be a slave to this system and the patriarchal mindset.”

‘All women should attend the courses’

Rojîn Turan called on all women to attend the courses organized by the committee and said, “Women learn how to express themselves without fear. We, as a group of young women, have been attending the courses for about two months. Now, we know more things about ourselves and our society. All women should attend the courses to improve themselves.”