As more than two years have passed after the military operation by the Turkish state in the predominantly Kurdish-populated southeastern provinces, a report published by the Migration Monitoring Association (GÖÇ-İZ-DER), based in Istanbul, reveals new details in the experiences of civilians, in particular women, during that period.
Starting in August 2015, round-the-clock curfews—in some places lasting for months—were imposed in response to Kurdish militants’ digging ditches and setting up barricades to prevent police from entering their neighbourhoods and the declarations of self-rule across several predominantly Kurdish towns and cities. The Turkish state’s disproportionate response—with the use of artillery, tanks, and helicopters—resulted in the displacement of approximately half a million people, an estimated 3,638 deaths and severe human rights violations perpetrated by the state, including burning of more than 100 civilians trapped in basements in Cizre.
Based on interviews with 480 women, the report titled Human Rights Violations against Women and Their Experiences during the Curfews and Forced Migration records women’s testimonies, painting a full picture of the hardships and losses that they went through and highlighting the gender aspect of state violence in Turkey. As the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatens to invade northeastern Syria once again —the territory under control of the Syrian Kurds and their allies— with the proclaimed purpose of eradicating the “terrorist” Kurdish forces, this report serves as another warning of the dangers that the local population will face if Turkey fulfills its threats.
