ELIF AKGÜL

Istanbul — The Monitoring and Evaluation Council, established to follow up on the implementation of the Kurdish issue resolution path, advance democratization, and oversee the disarmament process, held its first meeting on Monday, August 24. The meeting was chaired by Turkey's Vice President, with the attendance of the Minister of Justice, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Interior, Minister of National Defense, the Head of the National Intelligence Organization, the Secretary-General of the Presidency, and the Secretary-General of the National Security Council.

However, what is striking about the council's composition is that all eight of its members were men, with a complete absence of any female representation, despite the fact that the outcomes of the peace, democratization, and disarmament path will directly impact society, particularly groups that have borne a significant share of the conflict's consequences.

The council decided to form four sub-committees to handle the files of judicial and legal coordination, monitoring and observation, integration and social cohesion, and disarmament and strategic coordination. However, the names of the members of these committees have not yet been announced, leaving the question of women's participation in these structures and mechanisms for involving them in decision-making open to question.

Commenting on this, Tülay Korkutan from the Women's Solidarity Association and the Women's Union affiliated with the İmecî Women's Union stated that the peace process cannot be reduced to a mere ceasefire, emphasizing the necessity of women's participation in the councils and committees concerned with the process.

She explained that women's organizations should also be present in decision-making and monitoring mechanisms: "When we talk about peace, a definition is formed that is based solely on silencing weapons, or an approach is built that starts from security concerns, and thus the matter is discussed, and mechanisms are established in this way. But we know that peace cannot be achieved merely by silencing weapons. When women are not present at those tables and in those committees, we cannot speak of a complete peace. Why? Because women are also fundamental parties to this peace process. Women's organizations must be present at those tables, in those committees and councils."

She added: "There are women from the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) in the committee formed within parliament, but that is not sufficient, and we do not yet know whether women or women's organizations will participate in the committees to be formed under this law, and it appears they will not be included."

"An Independent Body Composed of Women Must Be Formed"

According to Tülay Korkutan, what is required is not merely women's representation in the process, but they should be part of an independent monitoring and intervention mechanism when necessary, stressing the need to form an independent body composed of women.

She also affirmed the necessity of having representatives of women's organizations in these mechanisms: "One of our demands is the formation of a fully independent body or council, with the authority to investigate, monitor, and intervene when necessary, and including representatives of women and women's organizations, because we know that war affects women more than others."

Peace, as she explains, has not been fully achieved: "We may speak today of a peace process, but we cannot say that peace has been fully achieved; this is not possible. Women are still being killed by men in this country, others are losing their lives as a result of the state's masculine violence, while others are subjected to violence and rape by security forces, especially in Kurdish regions. Therefore, we bear the heaviest burden of this war."

"Women's Presence in Peace Processes Determines the Process's Democratic Nature"

The effects of wars and conflicts on women are not limited to Turkey: "The matter is not limited to our country; it is the same all over the world. When war breaks out, their bodies are seen as a kind of 'war booty' in that conflict. This applies not only to civilians but also to female fighters. Even the bodies of those defending their land are subjected to military, racist, and hostile tools."

She added that "the presence of a women's voice in peace processes, the articulation of their demands, and enabling them to express themselves through independent bodies represent a fundamental criterion for determining how democratic the peace is," stressing the need to address the problems they face in order to move the current process forward.

She also drew attention to the impact of government-appointed trustee policies on services provided to women, stressing the need to create mechanisms to address the issues of violence and killings they have suffered: "There is a process today, but has this process truly turned into complete peace? Trustees were appointed to many municipalities in North Kurdistan, and these trustees remain in their positions. Because of them, shelters and women's centers were closed, along with counseling centers dedicated to them there."

She believes that genuine belief in the existence of peace and the sincerity of this process requires addressing these issues: "For example, will a mechanism be established to address the violence and killings suffered by women in Cizre and Silopi? Will those responsible be held accountable for the fate of women who were subjected to violence by military personnel and ended up committing suicide for political reasons as a result of that violence? To be able to raise these issues and confront all these facts, we must be present in those committees."

"The Passage of This Law Is an Important Step"

Tülay Korkutan sees the passage of the law as an important step toward advancing the process, but not sufficient on its own, stressing the need to take concrete steps to transform the process into a democratic path with community participation: "This process itself is important from another perspective, and the passage of this law is also important. True, the law alone is not enough, but it is important as a step that has been taken. For two years, we have not seen any step."

She considered that "the fascist governance practices of the AKP government continue in this country, against women, all peoples, and workers. For this process to turn into a democratic path within society, people must feel that."

Tülay Korkutan from the Women's Solidarity Association and the Women's Union affiliated with the İmecî Women's Union concluded her remarks by saying: "A democratic path can only be achieved through sincere and concrete steps, and through the implementation of the Kurdish people's demands. If these steps are implemented concretely, and if we women become part of this process, only then can we speak of real peace."