Resolving Family Disputes in the Gurbet: the Role of Kurdish Peace Committee and Roj Women
Keywords:
Kurds, Kurdish law, customary law, unofficial courts, diaspora, gurbet, Kurdish Peace Committee, Roj Women, legal pluralism, family disputes, transnational law, feminism, Kurdos, legislación kurda, derecho consuetudinario, tribunales no oficialesAbstract
In order to understand the different customs of the newcomers and how these work within the UK, this article discusses and evaluates the ‘informal’ Kurdish Peace Committee (KPC - a general court) and the Kurdish Women’s Committee (Roj Women – for sensitive cases involving women), as developed and practiced by members of the Kurdish diaspora (gurbet) living in the UK. Kinship, transnational marriages, frequent visits ‘back home’, and cheap telecommunications have helped Kurds to maintain strong links with Kurdish communities still living in Turkey and elsewhere in the gurbet. As a consequence of these ties, even simple disputes can affect extended family members living in the Kurdish region, the cities of Turkey, and in Europe. The Kurdish Peace Committee is involved in the settlement of such cases since, as they see it, such conflicts cannot be resolved by either British or Turkish state courts alone. Through the use of case studies, which illustrate a set of complex and interesting life stories, this article will explain how the Kurdish Peace Committee in London operates in an increasingly internal and transnational environment.
Para entender las diferentes costumbres de los recién llegados y cómo éstos trabajan en el Reino Unido, este artículo describe y evalúa los "informales" Comité de Paz Kurdo (KPC - un tribunal general) y el Comité de Mujeres Kurdas (Roj Women - para casos delicados relacionados con mujeres), puestos en marcha por los miembros de la diáspora kurda (gurbet) que viven en el Reino Unido. El parentesco, los matrimonios transnacionales, las frecuentes visitas "vuelta al hogar" y las baratas telecomunicaciones han ayudado a los kurdos a mantener fuertes vínculos con las comunidades kurdas que aún viven en Turquía y en otros lugares del gurbet. Como consecuencia de estas relaciones, incluso las controversias simples pueden afectar a miembros de la familia que viven en la región kurda, en las ciudades de Turquía y en Europa. El Comité de Paz Kurdo está involucrado en la solución de estos casos, ya que, como ellos lo ven, esos conflictos no pueden ser resueltos solamente por cualquiera de los tribunales estatales británicos o turcos. Mediante el uso de estudios de casos que ilustran una serie de historias complejas e interesantes, en este artículo se explica cómo el Comité de Paz Kurdo en Londres opera en un entorno cada vez más interno y transnacional.
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