The march was held under the slogan “We Liberate Through Resistance, We Build a Democratic Society.” Participants carried a banner bearing the same message.

 

Many women dressed in traditional attire took part in the action, which began on Cafes Street. Speaking during the gathering, TJA member Elif Kıvırcık said that women in Kurdistan greet March 8 each year by expanding and deepening their resistance. She emphasized that March 8 is not merely a day of commemoration but a day when women add a new link to chains of resistance woven over centuries.

 

Elif Kıvırcık stated that violence against women continues in a systematic manner. “Violence against women is not limited to femicides; it also persists widely in the forms of physical assault, sexual violence, threats, and abuse. According to United Nations (UN) data, every ten minutes a woman or girl is killed by a man close to her somewhere in the world. This shows that violence against women is not isolated incidents, but a product of the male-dominated system,” she said.

 

Stating that exploitation is not a law of nature, Elif Kıvırcık said: “As women, we struggle to change this imposed system of massacre and exploitation. For this, we must organize for our freedom and build our women’s libertarian communal system.”

 

ATTACKS ON ROJAVA

 

Elif Kıvırcık also referred to developments in Rojava, saying that the women’s freedom struggle there has been targeted by ISIS and affiliated groups.

 

“The male-dominated system tries to continue femicide across different geographies under different masks. But what grows in the face of this darkness is not surrender; it is women’s resistance rising across the world. Following the attacks on Rojava, we welcome March 8 International Women’s Day with the growing spirit of national unity in Kurdistan and the Democratic Nation consciousness woven stitch by stitch,” she said.

 

MARCH FOLLOWED THE STATEMENT

 

After the press statement, women marched toward the harbor chanting slogans, including “Jin jiyan azadî (Woman, life, freedom)” and “Bijî berxwedana gelê Kurd (Long live the resistance of the Kurdish people).” Participants also carried a photograph featuring a braided lock of hair as a symbol during the march.