The women's side of war
23 November 2021
In 2020, at the time when the whole world was engaged in the fight against the pandemic, struggled to survive fearing to get infected with the Covid-19 virus, on September 27, the residents of the front line zone of Azerbaijan started their morning with the roar of rockets. They would be hearing this hum for another 44 days – morning, afternoon and evening.
It was about 8 o’clock when Almaz, an internally displaced person (IDP) living in Shikharkh settlement of Tartar city, woke up to the sound of rocket explosion:
"I quickly looked out the window and a car selling groceries was parked in front of a 5-storey building. I saw men and women who came to shopping early in the morning were running away. But many people were still waking up. I can't help but hear the cries of children holding their parents' hands and running down the stairs to the basement without being able to get dressed.”
This settlement was built for IDPs during the ‘First Karabakh War’. It was one of the settlements that received the largest number of shells in 44 days. 34 out of 37 five-storey residential buildings, were completely or partially destroyed. The shells also targeted a secondary school, a kindergarten, a music school and public catering facilities located in the settlement.
Avaz Hasanov, chairman of the Humanitarian Research Public Union, conflict expert says that for many years they have been working with people living along the Azerbaijani-Armenian border and the former front line. His organization is engaged in developing those people’s capacity to solve their community’s problems.
"In cooperation with ‘Inmedio Berlin’ and with the financial support of the German Foreign Ministry, we have taken many initiatives to identify community activists in the regions and improve their dialogue skills. The traumas the peaceful inhabitants of the front line received during the military operation, which began on September 27, prompted us to work with them and show the first support in a short time.”, says Avaz Hasanov.
Ulviyya Babasoy, a gender expert experienced in working with local communities in Barda, better understands the suffering of women affected by the consequences of the war. “I was in Barda when the rockets were launched… it’s hard to put into words. Especially after October 27-28 ... I saw what people were literally going through behind the front line."
As a result of artillery shelling of Barda city and surrounding villages, 29 civilians were killed and 108 were injured. In this tragedy, 8 women were killed and dozens of women passing by on the street were injured. Ulviyya collected the thoughts and memories of women who survived those horrors.
To analyze the post-war situation, a survey was conducted among women living in Barda, Agdam and Tartar. Ulviyya, who was directly involved in the process, said that it was very difficult for her to listen to what women had gone through. “I was overwhelmed with anger. I even regretted that I asked these women to tell their experiences, but then changed my mind, saying to myself, everyone should listen to these stories."
As the situation on the battlefield of the Azerbaijani and Armenian Armed Forces became tense, the surrounding areas were not left untouched by the devastation of the war. The cities of Tartar and Barda suffered the most, and consequently, there were some women among the victims. 57-year-old Adila describes the incident she witnessed:
“My son wanted to stop the car and go to a cell phone store. All of a sudden I heard a terrible rocket explosion. I saw how my son fell to the ground, it seemed to me that the shell hit him. I was at a loss and could not open the door of the car, which made me scream. Looking back, I saw people running to the burning car. My son got up, opened my door and ran to the burning car. When I got there, I saw Fuad's body covered in blood. His body was fragmented, his eyes were still open. He worked with my son together and several days ago they came to visit us in the village.”
A 23-year-old girl, who saw what happened to her friend on the way to work, also suffered severe psychological trauma: “My college friend and her father, who were wounded by shrapnel from a rocket fired at Barda, were lying on the asphalt with injuries. People hurried to bandage their wounds and gave them water. Police, firefighters and an ambulance arrived. I trembled for two days because of the horror I saw, and my father took me to the doctor as he got worried. When the doctor said it was caused by stress, my father sent me to Baku so that I could overcome my shock in a quiet place.”
Residents of villages near the front line refused to leave their homes, despite being under rocket fire. Families took their children to villages far from the front line and to the homes of relatives living in the city center, and returned by themselves. When they heard rockets, they had to hide in a man-made trench shelters. People did not want to leave their farms and homes. A 41-year-old woman and her husband had to watch the horrors of the whole war from a trench shelter.
“A shell hit a neighbour’s yard before midnight; as a result of the explosion, the soil poured into our trench. We thought the shell had hit us, and again, thankfully, my family and I escaped unharmed.”
A woman from Barda will never forget October 27 of the last year. On that day, a shell hit the village where they lived, she lost her husband, and herself was wounded in the head. Her daughter's fingers were also injured and still does not function.
One woman's son returned from the war wounded, now he has psychological problems; another's brother was killed, another's brother-in-law, another's son... There are those who are deprived of everything, what they had owned for years disappeared in 44 days... How did women carry such a burden?
“On October 19, a rocket hit our yard. Our house was destroyed. My mother, me, and a television journalist who was sent on duty to the area and was near our yard that day were injured. I returned home because my condition was good. My mother stayed in the hospital. On November 4, my 25-year-old eldest son, who volunteered for the army, was martyred. We buried him in the Alley of Martyrs in Aghdam region. My whole world fell apart.” A resident of the Banovshalar settlement built for IDPs in Agdam shares her memories. And this woman is not alone in grief...
“I saw Aysu and Ophelia's bodies covered in blood. I took the dead body of 8-year-old Aysu in my arms ...”
“I lost consciousness and did not know that I was also injured, then I got to know in the neighbour’s house that my arm was bleeding... Believe me, if a shell fell on the place where I dried my clothes after washing, I swear, I would either turn into a colander, or they could not find a single piece of my body.”
All women say the same words that the war is not over and will continue to take lives for a long time. "While the liberated areas are being cleared of mines, it is unknown who else will be blown up by landmines."
The post-war period in most cases is no easier than the war period. The problems that "arise" after the cessation of artillery fire cover the entire society. The decisions made by governments affect everyone, regardless of whether they favour war or not, whether they suffered from war or not. The euphoria period ends, and we face reality. The current state of the women mentioned here, their psychological problems are manifestations of that reality. After the war, a group of psychologists and social workers worked with them in the framework of international projects, but it turned out to be insufficient. Because this work must be done under the direct control of the state, and the process must be sustainable.
According to Ulviyya Babasoy, "women suffer the most from the war, but their problems are often not taken into account."
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