Turkish Statistical Institute’s
Press Release of March 2, 2017 has covered marriage and divorce statistics, for
2016. One of the subtitles reads “Syrian
brides took first place among foreign brides” and reports that “the number of
foreign brides was 22 thousand 583 in 2016 and it comprised of 3.8% of total
brides. When foreign brides were analyzed by citizenship, Syrian brides
(6 thousand 495) took first place with 28.8%." (1)
I wonder how many of these
marriages were result of free choice of both parties aiming greater happiness
in life as one would normally expect out of a marriage, and how many of them
was actually an unwillingly taken step out of economic necessity or result of the
pressure of the family upon young girls to obtain wedding wealth (dowry), on
war stricken Syrian women’s side.
Whether willingly or unwillingly
established, a marriage at least brings a status and legal rights of the woman.
What is more bleak is the case of women who have to accept to be a second wife
illegally without any rights, as a last resort, in despair. Journalist Holland
(2) explains the situation, saying “Syrian refugee women often find that the simplest
path to stability is marrying a man—even if that man is already married.” The
worst is being subject to sexual harassment or forced prostitution. But there
are also women who can find a job like “Mayada, a 35-year-old Syrian refugee,
works in a dress shop. … Life as a refugee in Turkey is tough, but she can
support herself—no husband needed” as Holland reports.
In contrast to many countries which do not want immigrants, Turkey tries to do her best for
Syrians today, as was the case 100 years ago when revolting Armenians had to be
resettled in Syria and Iraq which were all Ottoman lands at the time.
Some Armenian women were able to get jobs like the girls in the photo on the
right, taken in Aleppo in 1919. In his book titled The Story Behind Ambassador Morgenthau's Story, Lowry has revealed Ambassador Morgenthau's distortions of the facts in Ambassador Morgenthau's Story, who aimed to persuade American public opinion to join WWI as the President Wilson wished; comparing the Story with Morgenthau's diary. The following quotation from Lowry's book puts forward that what was offered in Zor to Armenians was rather different from what they say:
"Zenop Bezjian, Vekil [representative] of Armenian Protestants, called. Schmavonian introduced him; he was his schoolmate. He told me a great deal about conditions [in the interior). I was surprised to hear him report that Armenians at Zor were fairly well satisfied; that they have already settled down to business and are earning their livings; those were the first ones that were sent away and seem to have gotten there without being massacred. He gave me a list where the various camps are and he thinks that over one half million have been displaced. He was most solicitous that they should be helped before winter set in. 88 All comments in Ambassador Morgenthau's Story notwithstanding, as late as September 1915, Morgenthau had not firmly concluded that the Armenians were the subject of an attempted 'extermination' by the Young Turk leadership." (3)
"Zenop Bezjian, Vekil [representative] of Armenian Protestants, called. Schmavonian introduced him; he was his schoolmate. He told me a great deal about conditions [in the interior). I was surprised to hear him report that Armenians at Zor were fairly well satisfied; that they have already settled down to business and are earning their livings; those were the first ones that were sent away and seem to have gotten there without being massacred. He gave me a list where the various camps are and he thinks that over one half million have been displaced. He was most solicitous that they should be helped before winter set in. 88 All comments in Ambassador Morgenthau's Story notwithstanding, as late as September 1915, Morgenthau had not firmly concluded that the Armenians were the subject of an attempted 'extermination' by the Young Turk leadership." (3)
The war in Syria is mentioned as
civil war in the media. In my opinion, this is a distortion of facts, since who
are fighting against the government are manipulated by the Western World, and they serve the
interests of the capitalist powers. The West is as good as it was 100 years ago
in making the peoples of the same lands kill each other. Perceptions are
engineered based upon distorted facts which prevail for ages as an outcome of psychological
war, which seems to be more effective than the physical war.
Never ending wars hit women badly
and create victims, unhappy survivors whose lives are marred by the losses and memories
of war days and also heroines who fight together with men shoulder to shoulder.
Some victims survive this or that way at least, but there is no return for those
who were killed brutally like my grand aunt.(4)
I remember them all, wish wars to
come to an end, and invite women to struggle for a peaceful world where sharing
and caring will prevail and where women will be independent and powerful, immune from exploitations.
I invite you to view the performance of the
women rhythm group formed at the recent IWD event organized by the Kazdağı Association
for the Protection of Natural and Cultural Assets shared through Facebook with
the message:
“Women are stronger together"
Sources
2) Holland,
Yeşim Erdem. (June 23, 2016). Syrian Refugees Are Becoming Second Wives in Turkey.
Vice. Accessed on 5.3.2017 at https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/syrian-refugees-second-wives-turkey
4) Aslan, S. (April 22, 2015). Sorry My Dear Grandaunt, No Apology To You. Accessed on 06.03.2017 at https://armenianholocaustmystory.blogspot.com/2015/04/sorry-my-dear-grandaunt-no-apology-to.html
Bride photo: http://www.gazetevatan.com/suriyeli-gelin-sayisi-yuzde-82-artti-1044178-yasam/
No comments:
Post a Comment