“WOMAN ARE DYING IN BATMAN”
Journalist Müjgan Halis wrote an investigative book about women's death in Batman

Müjgan Halis used the experience that she has gained over the years in her book which is called, "Why Batman, Why Women, Why Now?". She tried to answer the questions by asking same questions to the people of the region. She put the government and media's perspectives in the documents. In the meantime, she has created a historical document with her detailed and research oriented work. We would like to present you a section of our long conversation with her:.

Müjgan Halis said, "My book heavily analyzed an issue of the region where I was born. I am honored that it has been called a scientific study. Writing this book as a journalist who was born in he region and grew up with the values of the region, was an honor and it was also my duty to the land that I was born. The best thing I could do as a journalist was to write a book and save it as historic document...
… Durkaym says, "Suicides increase after wars but they are among the men." I am saying in my book, "Southeast (of Turkey) has proven that Durkaym is wrong." The scientific as well as sociological facts points that the idea of suicides are more accepted by men that women…
…In Batman, 135 people committed suicides in year 2000 and vast majority of them were women. The media portrayed as that the women were not virgin. It is a lie. This is wrong. Autopsy was done on all the women who has committed suicide. There was only one who wasn't virgin and another one was not virgin because she fall when she was a kid. The state is watching the suicides and not taking any action to stop them. The war is continuing… In a sense it is a psychological war. The Kurdish identity and women came together and that was why Turkish media initially heavily discussed the stories and then stories fall to the third pages of the newspapers from the first page. Now, it is not even a news according to them. For the Turkish media, it has lost its importance but suicides are continuing…
… the government officials, may be it is not government policy which I do not know, but the government policy is also in people's head… the government officials are either soldiers or police officers and their view of Kurdish women is to offend because they know that women is a symbol of honor for the people of the region. In front of Batman High School, soldiers and policy wait in the cars to take girls to their houses. The girls sees them as their prince. Then, they get a religious marriage approval and families do not say anything to the religious (Imam) marriage. There is also prostitution in Batman. The Turkish media's perspective to the issue is that offending. The death, the Kurd and the women are all together and it became magazine headlines for them. The life stories of young girls was released and it increased the suicides. It was wrong. They disregarded the war, social and societal aspect of the issue. These young girls would not be heard if they had not committed suicide...
…if this story started from Istanbul, it is because of the friends over there. Thus, they are expecting something from people like us...
…people need to like their jobs in order for them to be able redo the same thing… this kind of working was originated from Europe and it motivate them better…
… now, we are born and grown. We have established a life for ourselves but let's not forget our values and where we came from. Let's protect them. This is also a call "Let's not forget over there (Southeast)…"