Dilan Karamanoğlu - Piroz Zırığ / JINHA

ŞIRNAK - Mercan Baydemir is a mother of a disabled child. Her daughter made her different from other citizens who struggled to survive in the blockade on Cizre. Mercan talked about experiences with her disabled child and other children during the blockade.

Mercan Baydemir lives in the Yafes neighborhood in Cizre with her four children. One of them is disabled from birth. Mercan and her family, like others families, struggled to survive during the intensive attacks in Cizre. The biggest victims of war are women and children. And naturally, everything is more difficult for the mother of disabled child.

Mercan explained the effects of war on her child Pınar.

“We had difficulty during the attacks. Pınar is a difficult child and when she started to hear gunshots, she was more difficult because she was scared. And then, she started to scream; she continued to scream during the eight days. She could not eat. We closed her mouth with our hands,” Mercan said.

Mercan said that their neighbors worried about them a great deal.

“They thought because of Pınar’s shouting that ‘Mercan and her family were probably hurt or injured,’” she said.

“When Pınar’s diapers were depleted, we had a lot of difficulty. These assaults were difficult for everyone, but no one could understand what we experienced. Pınar is scared to go out after these eight days, but none of us gave up the struggle and we still won’t,” Mercan said.

(gc/ea/cm)