Woman, Life, Freedom facts for kids
Woman, Life, Freedom (Kurdish: Jin, Jiyan, Azadî, ژن، ژیان، ئازادی, Persian: زن، زندگی، آزادی) or Woman, Life, Liberty is a popular political Kurdish slogan used in both the Kurdish independence and democratic confederalist movements. The slogan became a rallying cry during the protests which occurred in Iran as a response to the death of Mahsa Amini.
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Origin
The origin of the slogan can be traced to the Kurdish freedom movement of the late twentieth century. The first time that the slogan was used was by members of the Kurdish women's movement, a part of the Kurdish freedom movement which was founded on grassroots activism in response to persecution from the governments of Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria. It was popularized further by Kurdish figures such as Abdullah Öcalan, in his anti-capitalist and anti-patriarchal writings. Since its first use, the slogan has been used by members of Kurdish organisations and those outside of the Kurdish movement. This was the slogan of the Kurdish fighters in breaking the siege of Kobani by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria.
Spread around the world
The slogan was first coined by Kurdish women fighters and then became popular in other protests around the globe. For example, on 25 November 2015 it was used in gatherings held to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in several European countries.
Iran
The use of the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom" goes back to series of protests following the Death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. The slogan was chanted at Amini's funeral in Saqqez and then was heard in initial protests in Sanandaj after the funeral. On 21 September, the slogan was chanted by students at University of Tehran, and by protesters around the country in the following days. On 28 September and the continuation of protests, students at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences used the slogan in their protests along with a new, similar slogan: "Woman, Life, Freedom; Man, Homeland, Prosperity".
Following the expansion of Iranian protests to other cities of the world, rallies were held in different cities with protesters using the slogan "Women, Life, Freedom" along with other slogans. Due to its expansion to cities around the world, and extensive coverage on foreign media, the French newspaper Libération used an image of Iranian protests with the slogan in Persian accompanied by its French translation. It was also used at the closing section of the lyrics for the song "Baraye" by Shervin Hajipour, who was detained by police after he received worldwide acclaim for the song. His song "Baraye" was later sung in global protests for Iran on 1 October 2022 in approximately 150 cities around the world.
In February 2023 twenty independent Iranian trade unions, feminist groups and student organizations issued a 12-point manifesto. It articulated and elaborated on the meaning of the slogan "woman, life, freedom", seeking an end to oppression, discrimination, tyranny, and dictatorship.
See also
In Spanish: Mujer, Vida, Libertad para niños
- UN Commission for the Status of Women
- For Freedoms
- Hendiatris
- Islamic Penal Code
- Vital Voices
- Women in Iran
