Rebuilt life by overcoming obstacles in Cûdî

  • women
  • 10:24 1 March 2024
  • |
img
ŞIRNEX - Rengin Onuk, who returned to her evacuated village at the foot of Cûdî Mountain, did not give up production on her land despite the words of those around her saying "you can't do it".
 
As a result of the policies implemented by the state in the cities of Kurdistan for "security" reasons in the 1990s, thousands of villages were burned, people were displaced and they fell victim to unsolved murders. According to the data of the Human Rights Association (IHD), nearly 3 thousand 700 villages and hamlets were burned, destroyed and evacuated between 1984 and 1999, when conflicts took place. According to the November 1997 statement of the State of Emergency (OHAL) Regional Governorship, 820 villages and 2 thousand 345 hamlets were evacuated and 378 thousand 335 people were forcibly displaced. According to the data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the same period, 945 villages and 2 thousand 21 hamlets were evacuated and 358 thousand 335 people were displaced. Although human rights organizations state that the forcibly displaced population is "over three million" or "around three million", there is no clarity in official figures on this issue.
 
One of the villages evacuated in this process was Dader village, located at the foothills of Cûdî Mountain in Şirnex's Silopiya (Silopi) district. Entrance to the village, which was forcibly evacuated by soldiers in 1995, has been prohibited for 29 years. Only citizens who own property can enter the village with "permission". 32-year-old Rengin Onuk, who did not leave her land and village despite everything, is one of the women trying to maintain the life and vitality in the village. Onuk, who was 3 years old when her village was evacuated, returned to her land with other villagers in 2018 and started planting wheat, barley and lentils. Onuk, who takes leave in October and November every year, stays in the village for certain periods and cultivates. As the only woman farmer in the region, Onuk struggles not only against state oppression but also against gender roles. Onuk, who tried to give a new spirit to the depopulated village, inspired many women with her efforts.
 
'GOAL TO BREAK PERCEPTIONS'
 
Onuk stated that she wanted to show that women can overcome everything alone and said: “I do agriculture because I love it, not out of necessity. Being a woman in this society has many disadvantages. People around me often say, ‘You can't do it, are you going to do it?’ We need workers periodically and I want more women to come and work. Because women's job potential is higher than men. For example, men drive tractors, but women sort the stones in the fields. So, the real labour is done by women."
 
WOMEN'S IMPACT IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
 
Pointing out that women are more inclined to farming, Onuk said: “Women have been doing heavy work in the fields since the past. In addition, tasks such as preparing food, collecting stones and herbs are also done by women. Men only have to drive the tractor and throw the stones collected by the women. The labour of women is valuable, that's why I work with them. We work together rather than with the mentality of 'I have the parcel, you work'. We plant wheat, barley and lentils. We plant corn or cotton every two years, depending on the condition of our products. I take care of everything from planting the crop to harvest time, from fuel to fertilizer, from the arrival and departure of the workers. We plant more wheat. The productivity of wheat is good, but life is very expensive, we cannot get the reward of our labour due to the state of the economy. Diesel and fertilizer are very expensive. Input costs have increased. The price of bread is increasing, but we still sell wheat cheaply. We continue it because it is a work inherited from our elders."
 
Expressing that farming has come to an end due to the policies of the government, Onuk continued as follows: “We plant and work, but those with ties eat. However, if there is no producer, there will be no production. A society that does not produce is a society doomed to end. Farmers are disappearing or facing extinction. Many farmers quit production. When we remove the product, we become indebted. Despite everything, my call to women is; They also focus on this field. Because women's involvement with nature is much more fruitful and colourful."
 
MA / Zeynep Durgut
 

View More Articles

11:17 'Let's respond to dirty policies of government with Amed rally'
11:00 ‘Road map of Abdullah Öcalan is compass of solution’
09:36 There is a need to talk to interlocutor on a free ground say Alawite organizations
08:59 30 years in prison: Do you regret it?
04/02/2025
16:22 Turkish air attacks around Tishreen Dam
16:20 'Trustee turned municipality into a police station'
15:57 Journalist Ahmet Güneş releases
15:45 Preventation to releases in Tokat Prison for a year
15:00 Everyone must have a say and practice for solution says Cigdem Kilicgun Ucar
13:13 KCDP January report: 33 women murdered
11:24 Lawyers applies to meet with Abdullah Öcalan
11:23 Amed prepares for ‘Freedom for Peace’ rally
10:33 War and insolvency impoverish says HDK member
09:22 No funeral for 28 years
09:22 Copy-paste procedure in judiciary
09:19 Two months HTS rule: Destroying women's identity and history
03/02/2025
16:52 ‘Freedom for Öcalan’ call from Kobani
16:37 3 cities to join resistance in Tishreen
16:01 We are behind every step taken by Abdullah Öcalan says Sezai Temelli
15:42 Most important step is freedom of Öcalan says Cigdem Kilicgun Ucar
14:52 Turkish attack to water station in Kobani
14:43 Council meeting in front of Sêrt Municipality
13:21 DFG January report: Investigation to 42 journalists
13:02 Call for 'freedom' mitng in Amed
12:14 Solution possible with Öcalan's freedom say Peace Mothers
11:44 No solution without ensuring Öcalan's conditions says Zübeyir Aydar
10:50 Discussions on solutions: Government does not inspire confidence
10:19 Trustees made permanent by calling 'temporary appointments'
09:25 Peoples’ Platform Europe to meet in Vienna: Reclaim the Initiative
02/02/2025
16:29 Protest against will usurpation in Sêrt
15:55 Letter to UN for Warisheh Moradi and Pakshan Azizi
14:40 'Abdullah Öcalan has been proposing solution for 26 years'
14:33 State must now take steps as sign of sincerity says Cigdem Kilicgun Ucar
13:01 Bavê Teyar: He became a guiding star
12:42 Tishreen Dam resistance on its 26th day
12:28 We live free in democratic nation system says Co-chair of Armenian Assembly
11:41 Citizens in Ankara addresses Parliament for a solution
10:03 Let's embrace Rojava says TJA member Rojbin Bor
09:40 In 2 years only time changes in Hatay
09:26 House bombed in Kobani: 10 wounded including 7 children
31/01/2025
16:11 Shelling of villages in Zirgan
15:52 65 Syrian intellectuals call for 'decentralised solution'
15:26 Pervin Buldan from İmralı Delegation meets with imprisoned women politicians
15:15 'Social Peace and Freedom Meetings' starts tomorrow
14:47 Protests against trustee
14:09 Adana calls for '1 million signatures for peace' campaign
13:13 Mass visit to Zehra Sebat's condolence
12:38 Flow from 7 cities to the Tishreen Dam
11:59 Expectations of those who lost relatives in clashes from process
10:29 Families applies to go to İmralı