‘Mothers for Peace’ Delegation

This is the official declaration of the delegation ‘Amargi for Afrin – Mothers for Peace’ which was read out October 8th, 2018, in Kobane. The delegation consited of 7 mothers from France, Spain, Italy and Germany, who made their way to Northern Syria in order to support peace in Syria and a just solution. Especially the support of the mothers of Afrin was an essential topic for this delegation.

It’s been eight years since war erupted in Syria. The tragedy, of international scope, has caused an enormous phenomenon of population displacements. People try to reach Europe by different routes while fleeing the war and the action of jihadist groups. The Mediterranean Sea has become a regrettable cemetery, while European countries close their doors to refugees or coldly accept them in dribs and drabs.

Turkey has become a warden for displaced population in exchange of huge amounts of money from European Commission, from the taxes collected from European citizens.

In the media, only the most outstanding war milestones are pointed out, such as the fall of Aleppo or liberation of Raqqa. But what was the coverage of Afrin invasion? When is the role of Turkey, -a NATO member- mentioned, with European armament, invading Afrin and provoking a humanitarian tragedy? Why did Russia and the United States, both present in nearby scenarios, allow this invasion?

And this disinformation leads to the main reasons for Mothers for Peace Delegation, because…

Where is Rojava? What is happening in Rojava? In our countries, there is total ignorance of the special situation of this Northern Syria’s region. We, Mothers for Peace, based on the great interest Rojava has arisen in the feminist organizations in our countries, have decided to know more about its history and the social change on progress: a democratic, feminist and ecologist revolution.

Prior to our visit, we have taken part in meetings with the women’s movement, with entities devoted to international cooperation and from educational sphere, to let them know about the struggle of Kurdish women and their leading role in the fighting against Daesh. And, beyond the battlefield, the leadership of Rojava’s women in the organization and construction of a feminist and democratic society.

What outcome do we expect from our trip to Rojava? Stemming from the visits and meetings with local women’s organizations, our knowledge about the progress made will deepen, from their achievements since 2011 -the beginning of change- as well as from the difficulties that have arisen over the years. It will also be important to be aware of the short and medium-term objectives.

A central part of our trip points to visit some displaced population from Afrin, due to Turkey and its Jihadist allies’ invasion, who have been resettled all around Rojava. Analysing and their situation from all points of view -health conditions, food needs, protection of vulnerable people, educational care- will be of upmost importance. We are especially interested in knowing in detail the situation of women and children, who always are the most vulnerable of these displaced people. Detecting their most obvious needs will allow us to transfer this information to humanitarian aid organisations and solidarity bodies in our own countries.

Our Mothers for Peace Delegation, when returning to its countries of origin: Germany, Spain, France and Italy, is committed to work in the following directions:

– First, placing Rojava on Syria and the Middle East maps.

– Give visibility to the revolutionary, democratic, feminist, ecological, multicultural and integrative process of the different ethnic groups and religious expressions.

– Highlight their means of organization, parity and participation.

– Inform about their sources of income, commercialization of products, harvesting, etc. And the difficulties inherent to their productive processes.

– Analyse in a general way health and educational situation.

– Promotion of humanitarian attention towards the refugee camps.

– Alert about the threat of Turkey over Rojava’s territory as a continuation of the invasion of Afrin and condemn international passivity, insisting on the need for a permanent complaint before international organizations: European Parliament, Council of Europe, United Nations.

– Introduce the debate on new means of societal organisation, based on a new paradigm, as a transferable model in the desired post-war period.

Some Ideas for Rising Awareness

In its previous days, the trip of this international collective named ‘Mothers for Peace’ has arisen great interest in radio and television media with a large audience and state-wide reach.

We have also received requests to present the results of our research in cultural and academic forums in several places.

We will accompany these informative actions with the publication of articles in the written media, as well as in pages and bulletins from different interested organizations, according to our possibilities.