Getting Stronger Together

DENÇA DEĞİRMENCİ

Last week, as Parrhesia Collective, we organized an online meeting called ‘Kov Kovi’ [Side by Side] with the aim of meeting Armenian women and seeking ways of solidarity. This meeting brought together many young Armenian women from various professions and different parts of the world. Despite our differences, seeing how similar our experiences and the challenges we have faced over the years as Armenian women were deeply affected me and opened new horizons in my mind.

The main theme of our meeting and the common point that brought us together was that we were all Armenian women. Although each of us had thought about, discussed, and even found opportunities to take action on the problems we face as women in society, we realized that as Armenian women, we deeply felt the lack of a space that would allow us to express these problems and seek solutions. Being silenced from a young age because we are women, the gender roles imposed on us even before we were born, being forced to fight for our basic rights, and being segregated are just some of the countless problems we face. Additionally, being part of the Armenian community also limits us in many ways, with the dual oppression brought by our ethnic identity and being women manifesting in many areas of our lives. At this point, I believe that the best way to overcome the difficulties we face is to come together and create a space for solidarity, and with ‘Kov Kovi,’ we have taken a very important step in this direction.

During our conversation, I realized once again that the fears and hesitations experienced by the women in our families in the past have been passed down to us as a legacy, and these traumas continue to affect every aspect of our lives like a shadow that has persisted through generations. From a young age, we all saw how the difficulties faced by women were conveyed to us through the stories we heard at home or in society. In the past, our families imposed the idea that women should marry at a certain age to ‘protect’ themselves and behave in certain ways for the same reason. Although we think we have freed ourselves from these fears and pressures today, they continue to surface from our subconscious and suppress us.

Illustration: Tamar Gürciyan

On the other hand, it has become very difficult to come together with people with whom we can stand side by side and express our ideas without judgment. In today’s world, where everyone is increasingly isolated and individualism is at the forefront, producing a collective solution to our problems is often not even an option anymore. While individualism and personal achievements are prioritized, the value of being a community and acting together is overlooked. Thanks to our meeting, I realized that when people with common problems come together and express these issues, solutions can emerge even in a short time; it makes us feel much stronger and more hopeful.

We Armenian women face all these pressures, fears, and the disregard, silencing, and lack of recognition of women’s labor in every aspect of life, and the additional burdens brought by our ethnic identity make these difficulties twice as heavy. Knowing that we are not alone in this struggle, standing side by side, and supporting each other is a great source of hope and strength for us. Meeting with Armenian women from various parts of the world through ‘Kov Kovi’ reminded us once again that we are never alone and how strong we can be when we are in solidarity. I hope that opportunities to open the doors to such solidarity will increase, and our efforts for women’s rights and equality will be an inspiration for a brighter tomorrow.