This unfair and unjust war of choice inflicted by the Russian Federation in February of 2022 against Ukraine and its people has caused an upheaval across once peaceful Ukrainian people and its society.
The disruption of lives left no one unscathed.
That also includes Ukraine’s indigenous people, the indigenous Crimean Tatars of the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine, in particular, Crimean Tatar women/girls is the focus of this piece.
As a Crimean Tatar woman and who is very much at the center stage of the Crimean Tatar community both here in the United States and representing the indigenous Crimean Tatars at the annual United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), the 2022 invasion crystallized for us an uncertain future.
Notably, the full blown invasion dispersed the Crimean Tatars across multiple democratic nations e.g. the United States and European nations and as far away as Australia. The once close-knit Crimean Tatar community that we once were, will become harder and harder to maintain. This has brought totally new set of challenges for the Crimean Tatar people at large. An exodus from the homeland within a totally new context. Whilst 1944 forced deportation versus involuntary dispersion of the Crimean Tatar people.
Moreover, the 2014 and 2022 invasions have made somethings obvious that political considerations alone have not sufficed to probe on what is the “SITUATION” (“Vaziet”) of Crimean Tatar women/girls given the disruption of their lives.
The word “SITUATION” is intentionally used within the title of this piece to convey exactly what the definition signifies, a set of circumstances in which one finds oneself.
It is known war exacerbates discrimination against women such as, intensifying women’s exclusion from public space due to cultural norms. Crimean Tatars are no exception.
Currently, there are 200+ Crimean Tatar “Akaylar” (reference to Crimean Tatar men) who are unjustly held as political prisoners in occupied Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine. These are young Crimean Tatar men who were the sole providers of their households with 4 to 6 children or more.
This begs the question, what is the “SITUATION” of the young Crimean Tatar women left alone with house full of children? What is inside the Crimean Tatar women/girl’s toolbox to counter the unexpectant violent disruptions given the illegal occupation and by war?
Are the Crimean Tatar women/girls opting to self-isolate away from the public space as a shield against an violent and unsafe environment?
Are they embracing what the feminist call, the “protective myth”. Thus, making “Akaylar” as their protectorate.
The irony is where can the Crimean Tatar women/girls seek “protection” when increasing number of Crimean Tatar Akaylar are either imprisoned in occupied territories or serving in war or working overseas away from home.
There is a Crimean Tatar saying that my beloved “Anay” (mother in Crimean Tatar language) reiterated in times of personal hardship it goes something like this, “if your arm is broken, hide it in your sleeve”.
With denial survival is at risk. I believe that advice is no longer viable today. Nor should it be.
Where is the Crimean Tatar women/girls voice during these times. What do they want to say but cannot? I concur that the individual Crimean Tatar women/girl’s voice has been missing for some time. Having recognized this during this critical juncture, I took the initiative and developed set of questionnaires and conducted a survey of approximately fifty (50) Crimean Tatar women/girls one year after the full invasion in 2023, titled, “Beyond Cig Borek”- Crimean Tatar Women/Girl’s Access to Empowerment within the Public Space. ©
The Survey is ongoing and has been augmented in informal group gatherings as well. The intent of the Survey is to identify an introspective look at the Crimean Tatar women/girls “SITUATION” (“Vaziet”) through a gender equality lens on the discussion of empowerment, self-esteem and self-authority.
This is an uncharted territory for Crimean Tatar women/girls. It is frontier territory.
The Survey’s pool of Crimean Tatar women/girls participants is not its to reiterate “the selected voice” but, rather “a Crimean Tatar women’s feminist voice that is seeking independence and self-empowerment.
The title of survey and the name of the “Cig Borek” which is a Crimean Tatar traditional dish that is prepared by Crimean Tatar women. “Beyond Cig Borek”, is a calling to Crimean Tatar women/girls to seek a vision or dream that is beyond the traditional assigned roles. And, to listen to the individual voice within you.
A sample of some of the questions asked in the “Cig Borek Survey:
1. Do you think gender focus perspective will make a difference in your life as an independent individual?
The majority responded with a yes.
2. What barriers prevent you from fulfilling your passion/dream?
The majority response was that personal and societal environment prevented the realization of individual dreams.
3. What are the 3 key challenges that hinder your empowerment as a Crimean Tatar Women/Girls? Is it Economical? Is it access to opportunity? Is it institutional?
The response to all these were NO.
However, when asked if the challenge to empowerment was Cultural 49 out of 50 respondents said, YES to that.
Crimean Tatar women/girls, quietly nod their heads to the question of gender equality but do not speak or say the words. Their unspoken reservations on this reality spoke to the ambiguity of their thoughts.
Having observed my Crimean Tatar community as its former President years ago, our interaction among ourselves is one of inter-generational relationships, extended families underpinned by connections with Crimea, parents, memories, the deportation, return to the homeland.
Moreover, as a young Crimean Tatar growing up within the same community which I led, I can recollect distinctively, there was only one agenda in the Crimean Tatar collective narrative that is, to return to Crimea and nothing else. The movement to return superseded over all other Crimean Tatar health, economic, personal or social issues and individual identity topics. Without doubt Crimean Tatars achieved the pinnacle of success with the return of 300,000 Crimean Tatars to our homeland. All Crimean Tatars commend this noble effort.
However, this success has not been achieved without a cost. It has been at the expense of the Crimean Tatar women/girl’s individual voice. Within a historical context of movement Crimean Tatar women/girls have undoubtedly played an important under the collective.
It is indeed difficult to shake the feeling that an analysis of gender may appear trivial against the scale of the war against civilians and Ukrainian soldiers. However, this conversation is long overdue and the time is now. Irrespective of the ugliness and cruelty of war, the transformative potential for female empowerment has and can advance the societal role of women/girls to act.
To begin with, throughout the life of the collective movement and its narrative, has set the stage for political representation that has NOT been shaped by individual Crimean Tatar women voices let alone leadership. The Crimean Tatar collective narrative has been unmitigated. The gender division, whether consciously or subconsciously underpins whose perspective are prioritized.
The gender parity has been overlooked in the past and must not be so today. Even though Crimean Tatar women/girls are disproportionately affected by war of 2014 and 2022.
The future of Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine needs to be defined by the individual voices of the indigenous Crimean Tatar women thru the lens of Crimean Tatar feminist. The Survey clearly revealed to the discerning eye it is time that individual voices of the Crimean Tatar women/girls begin to formulate a new feminist narrative of our own making.
What we need in our toolbox is ample dosage of empowerment and self-esteem. And, to understand that our individual voices as Crimean Tatar women/girls need to be heard.
Crimean Tatars women/girls face a daunting task to begin by formulating their own narrative as feminist and indigenous. To accomplish these goals as a member of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA) our initial step is to gather and share our stories between women/girls. By talking and sharing our goals and dreams between mainstream societies and as indigenous Crimean Tatars and, begin to name the problem and help each other to take our experiences with serious candor. As well as building a bridge between traditional culture and the future. During the process, learn from the experiences of Ukrainian women/girls and build feminist strategies for Crimean Tatar women/girls’ leadership.
Having attended the 68th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and hope to attend next month in March (CSW69), as Representative of WFUWO to UN ECOSOC, I arrived with the realization Crimean Tatar women/girls have been overlooked, by passed despite their long standing contributions and sacrifices made to their communities.
Ayla Bakkalli is an Additional Representative of the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organization to ECOSOC and Ukrainian National Women’s League of America
*Author’s opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Ukrinform’s editorial board
