in order to oppose the militant among kurdish movements, the turkish state has for decades been actively organizing and arming tribalist kurdish forces under a "village guard system". these guards have committed rape and 78 abductions. the governing justice and development party (akp) persistently pursues a conservative islamist political agenda of enforcing regressive values of male supremacy, up to "legitimising rape and encouraging child marriage"; these policies have hindered the progress of kurdish women's rights movement.