Why is Rojava a women’s revolution?

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Women knit the revolution

NEWS CENTER – From Arîn to Silaval, from Avesta to Amara and Hevrîn the fire of revolution that has been burning for 8 years in North and East Syria continues to inspire women all over the world.

Women who took over the flag of struggle from the Mirabal Sisters managed to make their places of resistance all over the world. In this case, we will shed light on women’s resistance in North and East Syria, which has inspired the women of the world with their self-defense.

The BAAS regime, which has been in power in Syria since 1970, granted women co-ordination rights with Islamic rules. Kurdish, Arab, Armenian, Assyrian, Circassian, Syriac and Turkmen women who have been living under the pressure of the BAAS regime for years could not find a basis for struggle against the regime until 2012. The deterioration of this trend was pioneered by Kurdish women.

First, women have been organized in Yekitiya Star

Kurdish women in North and East Syria began to organize slowly after the 2000s. In 2005, Kurdish women were officially united under the name of ‘’Yekitiya Star. ” Among the founders of Yekitiya Star, who claimed that ‘’the society cannot be free without woman’s freedom’’, Ilham Ehmed, who is widely mentioned nowadays, took part too. Yekitiya Star also played an important role in the organization of Syrian Arab, Syriac, Turkmen and Armenian women. Women set out on the basis of the paradigm and philosophy of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and managed to reach many women in a short time. The women who formed small communes grew their organizations here. Until 2016, women carried out their work under the roof of Yekitiya Star.

Step by step from organized women to revolution

With the civil war that began in Syria in 2011, women led the Rojava Revolution with the awareness that they had to say something about their lives. Women, who set out to revolution with their experiences, joined Mala Jin (Women’s Houses) in Yekitiya Star for the first time. Women saw these houses as a shelter for them and claimed them as a solution for their problems. Hundreds of women withdrew their hands from the state institutions, and no longer expected a solution from the state courts. Mala Jin is now continuing her work in the region under the roof of Kongreya Star.

Women also left their marks on the building of Democratic Autonomy. Women in many cities, public order, people’s councils, cooperatives, women’s foundations, women’s communes, women’s organizations, courts, public houses, culture and art houses, youth houses, women’s ministries, went to institutions such as women’s academies. Armenian, Assyrian, Arab and Syriacs were also in these institutions, step by step construction work began.

Women in military field with YPJ

In April 4, 2013, women officially declared their participation in the military field with the establishment of the Women’s Defense Units / YekineyênParastinaJin (YPJ). All the attention of the international public focused on the struggle against ISIS led by Kurdish women. Internationalists around the world have also given great support to YPJ fighters who have achieved great success against ISIS. Journalists, activists and ecologists from many countries turned their faces to North and East Syria where the revolution took place. For the first time in the YPJ, Arab Women Battalions were established and Arab women took an active part in the war.

Women’s Laws put into operation

After the declaration of Democratic Autonomous administrations in 2014, the Law on Women entered into force. While the resistance against ISIS continues, the implementation of Women’s Laws has created a great impact on the world public opinion. Like other societies in North and East Syria, it was shaped by a male-dominated mentality. There were traditions that made women suffer. Child marriage, men with many wifes, bride exchange, and so on. Many traditional rules were made. Women’s Laws were issued to prevent them.

In addition to military success, women have proven that they can lead to success and a change of mentality in the social sphere.

Women expanded their organization with the Kongreya Star

Yekitiya Star has made itself organized in the economy through social and legal system. In 2016, it expanded itself with the congress it held and decided to continue on its path as the Kongreya Star. Kongreya Star has declared to the Congress that they recognize YPJ as the legitimate power of women in the military field. Kongreya Star has expanded its organization in many areas from politics, diplomacy, culture and education to all areas of life. The political, civil and military institutions established were based on the co-chair system and implemented that way.

Women established assemblies in areas liberated from ISIS

As a result of joint efforts with women from Arabs, Syriacs and Armenians, Kurdish women were first organized as a Syrian Women’s Initiative. With the resistance of YPJ and YPG in the areas occupied by ISIS, Minbic, Reqa, Tabqa, Dêrazor were liberated respectively. Women organized themselves into assemblies. As Reqa Women’s Assembly, Tabqa Women’s Assembly, Minbic Women’s Assembly and Dêrazor Women’s Assembly, everyone started to work in their own city and canton. Women, who had been in ISIS captivity for 4 years and tried to be separated from their own identities, joined the work with great enthusiasm after their city was liberated. The Kurdish, Arab, Syriac, Circassian, Turkmen and Armenian women who expanded their work first established the Syrian Women’s Assembly, which covers the whole of Syria. Then, on June 14, 2019, women declared the establishment of the North and East Syrian Women’s Assembly with a congress participated widely. The declaration of the Assembly created a great excitement for all women.

Women are also pioneers in diplomacy

Women in politics in North and East Syria, came to the fore in diplomatic negotiations. Ilham Ehmed, Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Democratic Syrian Assembly (DSM), has made diplomatic contacts in many countries, especially in the US, and represented North and East Syria in the international arena. İlham participated in the US House of Representatives recently, where she shared documents about Turkey’s attacks against North and the East Syrian and the human rights violations.

The message given with the exploitation of the women’s body is clear

The revolution that has been going on in North and East Syria since 2012 cost greatly to the women . During the ISIS attacks, many YPJ fighters were massacred and their bodies were exposed and tortured. Amara Renas’s dead body exposed to public in Kobane attacks. Yet Turkey Syrian-backed group on the day of October 12, 2019 Secretary General of the Party of the Future of Syria, Hevrin Khalef was tortured and killed, followed by images of the massacre shared by social media. It was a message they wanted to give to women who resisted these with their male- dominated mentality. However, in the face of this mentality in North and East Syria, Arin Mirkan in 2014 and Avesta Xabur in 2018 were the representatives of the strong and determined positions of women against male-state power.

Women continues to be a threat for dictators

The women in Syria continues to be an inspiration for the revolution for women just to spite their wars they continue to show off on women’s body and be the greatest threat to their power and dictators with their resistance. The successors of women who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the revolution reiterate their determination to bring the torch of resistance to the women of the world at every opportunity.

Source: http://jinnews.com.tr/en/