Turkish mothers' anti-PKK sit-in protest 'one of a kind'

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Hundreds of families in southeastern Türkiye continue with sit-in protests in the hopes of seeing their children, who were abducted by the terror group PKK or its Syrian branch the YPG.

"Sit-in protests are a local movement. Families challenge terrorism from here. The movement of the families is now turning to a new social movement. For the first time in the world, a women's movement has stood out against terrorism and succeeded," said Adem Palabiyik, the coordinator of the Child Watch Families, a non-profit organization based in Türkiye.

Last week, the Child Watch Families organized a workshop in Istanbul to address the protests which started from Türkiye's southeastern province of Diyarbakir and spread across the entire nation before reaching European capitals such as Berlin and Amsterdam.

Since Sept. 3, 2019, the protesting families have been camping outside the offices of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), a party the Turkish government says has links to the PKK.

Palabiyik said the fact that the "one of a kind" protest spread from Diyarbakir to other provinces is proof that motherhood and fatherhood are accepted as a supra-political concept in the region.

The Child Watch Families workshop issued a 25-item draft results.

Reading the results, Palabiyik said in addition to future academic and scientific studies, the workshop will contribute to the production of documentaries on the families, storifying the subject, and achieving a better understanding of the process and socializing it.

According to the draft results, Child Watch Families created a significant sociological breaking point for eliminating terrorism and its components.

Actions or attempts such as child kidnapping, recruiting members for terrorist organizations and sustaining terrorism were highlighted to shape public opinion globally.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

The protest has borne fruit as dozens of children forcibly abducted or recruited by the terror group fled the PKK and reunited with their families.