Al-Raqqa's women a year after liberating of IS' blackness-3

NEWS DESK

During IS occupation of al-Raqqa, they marginalized the role of women and imposed laws that are not related to any constitution or law. They made women a tool to meet their sexual demands and marginalized them in all spheres of life. Hundreds of women in al-Raqqa were killed by cutting or stoning in front of the sight of the people of various kinds of pretexts and most importantly not to comply with the wishes of mercenaries.

As a result of the immoral practices practiced against women in al-Raqqa and after the liberation of the city, in October 2017, 20 by the Syrian Democratic Forces(SDF) and led by the Women's Protection Units(YPJ), women in al-Raqqa have achieved great steps in many fields. In this dossier we will explain how women managed to organize themselves and doubled their efforts to address the masculine mind that besieged her to be able to manage herself.

Women before and under IS occupation

The long-standing male authoritarian regime in Syria has minimized the role of women, especially the women of al-Raqqa city. This suffering was further exacerbated by the occupation of IS mercenaries in January 2014 and the imposition of blackness on women. They did not let the woman to move except with a father, brother or husband. The mercenaries also tried to impose the niqab and the cloak under the pretext of al-Sharia at the time of their absence from the most basic Islamic law known as peace and equality between all races.

IS mercenaries, who occupied al-Raqqa for four years, imposed on women arbitrariness and barbarity from killing and rape, because they realized the importance of the role of women in the society they targeted first to destroy the entire society. Mercenaries also sold women in slavery market. They assigned al-Naim roundabout, which was described as a place for the sale of the kidnappers more than once and for more than one person. The women, according to their own criteria, the women were gifted to those who called themselves princes or leaders in the ranks of mercenaries.

After the liberation, al-Raqqa women removed the blackness.

Wrath of Euphrates campaign, which began on June 6, 2017, continued in several stages and started to avenge the Yazidi women who were kidnapped by mercenaries. The liberation of al-Raqqa city took place after YPJ played a leading role in the campaign and made great sacrifices in order to liberate the women of the city from injustice.

After the liberation of their city, the women of al-Raqqa revolted in the face of blackness after four consecutive years of darkness, and began organizing themselves to join all spheres of social, political and military life.

Women's administration in al-Raqqa is the basic umbrella for all women in al-Raqqa

After Al-Raqqa was liberated, Al-Raqqa Civil Council was established as the main umbrella for all the councils in the city where coordination between the councils and the communes for women and the civil council was carried out by the Women's Committee in the Civil Council. After that, it has recently become the women's administration in al-Raqqa, which is currently considered the basic umbrella for all women in al-Raqqa.

The women administration in al-Raqqa has taken serious and qualitative steps. It has worked on forming the main committees within the administration, namely the Reconciliation Committee, the Training and the Economy, where each committee supervises committees within the committees and councils for women in al-Raqqa and its countryside.

1150 issues for women were solved during a year

Women's administration in al-Raqqa started the formation of councils and special houses for women. The number of women's councils in al-Raqqa reached 12 councils in addition to 3 women's houses.

These councils and houses are formed by several committees such as Economy, Reconciliation and Education. Each committee is specialized in supervising its activities.

Al-Raqqa women, as a result of the injustices exercised against them in previous years, women saw in councils and the houses of women as their main foster. These councils seek to solve their problems and have solved 1150 cases for women in less than a year without resorting to the courts.

According to the official responsible for all the houses and councils of women in al-Raqqa Nusseibeh al-Aliwi, the obstacles facing their work are all that result from the authoritarian and reactionary mentality imposed by the mercenaries on the people, and stressed that they get rid of these obstacles by educating and training the people on a life of equality and coexistence.

The first academy for Women in al-Raqqa

During the occupation, the mercenaries closed the doors of schools and libraries to turn them into centers of intimidation and mental retardation to deprive the components of society, especially women, of education. The women's administration formed the first women's academy in al-Raqqa in February last year. This academy is highly motivated by women for training and learning.

This academy ended five courses. Each course included 40 to 45 trainees. Each course lasted for one month. The trainees received intensive educational courses, especially on the history of women and shared life.

The aim of the academy is to educate women and to free them from the mentality imposed on them by the male systems that ruled the people and to introduce the women to their leading role in all areas of life.

To help the working mother who wants to train, the academy is currently opening a kindergarten for children until their mothers finish training.

The Economic Committee is one of the most important committees to achieve self-sufficiency

Since the emergence of mankind, the woman was the first to discover agriculture and then industry and achieved self-sufficiency of society, and after the control of authoritarian regimes in the communities, they marginalized the role of women and preferred men to women in industry, agriculture and economy, but the management of women in al-Raqqa proved the opposite and managed to activate many projects and economic development to achieve women's self-sufficiency.

The committee worked on activating projects for women such as the textile project in al-Rumaila neighborhood and the sewing workshop in al-Mashlab neighborhood, which trains women in sewing and design so that women can open their own projects in the city.

The committee also works on several other projects such as Beit al-Mouna project and the opening of courses for women on nursing and first aid.

Women are the pioneers in al-Raqqa Civil Council

With the establishment of al-Raqqa Civil Council before the liberation of the city, which is the umbrella of all the councils, communes and institutions in the city, the Women's Committee was established in the council, which is the link between al-Raqqa Civil Council and the women administration in al-Raqqa.

The percentage of women working in the civil council is 50%, which is equal to that of men. The committee has been working in the council since its inception to supervise the women living in Ain Issa camp.

With the liberation of the city, the Women's Committee began organizing the ranks of women in the liberated al-Raqqa city. It was the pioneer in activating the councils and the communes in al-Raqqa city and its areas.

After liberation, al-Raqqa women from marginalization to leadership

In addition to joining all social aspects, women have joined the Defense and Protection Forces. Dozens of women from al-Raqqa joined SDF.

The fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces organized themselves. Many of the women's regiments have been formed within the ranks of SDF. Military offices have been formed in al-Raqqa city, where women work in these offices to organize the fighters and these offices are in charge of their affairs.

Women within the Internal Security Forces ranks

After the liberation of al-Raqqa by SDF, the city's forces handed over to the Internal Security Forces, which was assigned to protect the city from any targeting, and these forces have been thanks to the efforts of women who were the first to join the ranks of the Internal Security Forces to face all attempts to target the city and its security.

Where dozens of women from the city joined the ranks of the Internal Security Forces. The Internal Security Forces have started to organize themselves extensively and formed committees within their ranks. They also joined many areas within the internal security forces, including Anti-Crime and the Public Security Service.

Al-Raqqa women... live safely after liberating the city

Many of al-Raqqa women that ANHA agency met, pointed out that now the difference is huge compared to a year ago because they saw the light after years of injustice and the suppression of the role and freedom of women in society.

The women pointed out that they saw that the power lies in the right of defense, which was represented by the military forces that protected them, protected their city and saw freedom in the councils and communes of women formed to protect women’s rights.

So after the liberation of the city and the formation of the basic umbrella for all women in al-Raqqa, women are self-managed and depend on themselves in all fields and opened their own economic projects and become empowered by managing of the community.

A.H

ANHA