Women's victories in northern Syria in 2018

MEDIA HANAN - SLAVA ABDUL REHMAN/NEWS DESK

During the revolution of women in Rojava, women were able to achieve victories at all levels, diplomatically, politically, militarily and socially.

Diplomatically

The struggle and resistance shown by women in Rojava and in the north and east of Syria has had a significant impact on women and women's international organizations, especially women's liberation movements. The women of Rojava and northern and eastern Syria were known for their heroic resistance in addition to organizing themselves in all aspects of social, political, administrative, organizational, service and security life, a delegation of women from Rojava, North and East Syria was invited on December 5 to a forum of 200 women from 16 countries around the world on women's freedom in Bangalore City of  India.

Women discussed the experiences of women in the liberal struggle in many countries of the world, especially the struggle of women in Rojava, and ideologies pursued by the liberation movements and women's struggle in the world, and gifted the forum to the Kurdish activist Sakina Janses.

In the first step of its kind in the world, at the invitation of (Women weaving the future) Net Women participated in the First World Conference for Women under the slogan "Revolution Revives" with the participation of 500 women from around the world. Which was held on 6/7 October in Frankfurt. During the conference, the experiences of women in the revolutions that took place in different countries around the world, especially the revolution of women in Rojava, north and east of Syria, represented by the Women's Protection Units (YPJ)and Kongra Star were discussed.

Several women's delegations from European countries, including Belgium, Germany, England, Switzerland, France, Italy, Canada and Lebanon, and women's delegations from Kurdistan, visited Afrin canton to express their solidarity with Afrin women and people who defended their presence and expressed their solidarity with the people of Afrin residing in al-Shahba. Delegates participated in the celebration held in the center of Afrin on International Women's Day on  March 8.

Organizationally

2018 is the year in which women have fully established their organization based on the principles and ideology of the democratic nation, put forward by the leader of the Kurdish people Abdullah Ocalan, one of whose pillars is the freedom of women. This is the first time in the history of the region, Conference of the Women's Academy "Jineolojî" held in northern Syria, on 12 January, in the presence of hundreds of women representatives of institutions active in the field of women's rights and civil society institutions and the presence of women from northern Kurdistan "Bakur" and representatives of women's organizations in Turkey and northern Kurdistan and from southern Kurdistan "Başûr" representatives of the Kurdish Women's Free RJAK, and Şengal representatives of the Movement of Freedom of Yazidi Women TAJE, and from eastern Kurdistan, "Rojhilat" participated representatives of the Association of Free Women in East Kurdistan (KJAR). During the conference, a work program was approved for the Academy of Jineolojî in Rojava and northern Syria. It will be specialized in training and educating women according to the ideology of free women.

In order to consolidate the principles of women and to discuss the problems facing women, several conferences and dialogues were held, which resulted in a number of resolutions, including the protection of women's rights and the necessity of women's participation in all spheres of life, organizational, military, political, social and administrative. In order to solve the Syrian crisis, including the need to represent women in the committees that will be formed to prepare a constitution for the future Syria, and these meetings, forums and conferences held are:

On  April 28, with the support of the United Nations Women's Fund and sponsored by the Syrian Women's Council and in cooperation with Kongra Star and the Joint Ground Organization, a discussion forum and a workshop entitled "Syrian Women's Priorities in North and East Syria" were held in the city of Qamishlo, by participating of women's rights, and civil society institutions to identify the priorities of Syrian women and the areas of work of Syrian women's organizations and activists.

On  July 21, the first Constituent Conference of the Women's Union of the Democratic Union Party was held under the slogan "Women's Freedom is a Guarantee to a Moral and Political Society", which resulted in the formation of a Women's Council of the Democratic Union Party.

  On August 16, under the slogan "In the Spirit of Resistance of the age, We will Make the Revolution of Women a Social Revolution". The Seventh Conference of Kongra Star was held with the participation of 700 delegates.

On October 5, the first forum of Syrian Women Jurists and Activities was held in Kobanî city under the slogan "Guaranteeing Women's Constitutional Rights, the Basis of Building a Democratic Syria" under the auspices of the Women's Council. On November 16, the second congress of the Women's Justice Council was held under the slogan "Women are the Creators of Justice, to Ensure and Promote Justice" with the participation of 350 members from various areas of al-Jazeera region.

As the first event of its kind in the Middle East and the second in the world, and in conjunction with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November each year, the village of Jin War, a women's village was opened, after two years of hard work.

On  August 3, the first conference of the Women's Training and Education Committee was held in the Democratic Society of Northern Syria.

The young woman, one of the pillars of the revolution in northern and eastern Syria, organized a discussion forum on  December 10 .

Events and activities

In 2018, the women's organizations in Rojava, north and east Syria organized dozens of events, opened centers and opened training and awareness sessions. The first was the declaration of the Coordinating Conference of the second campaign calling for the freedom of Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan on February 15.

On February 2, the first Syrian Women's Council opened in Qamishlo city.

 On February 2, the first women's academy was opened in al-Raqqa. On February 11, a similar academy was opened in al-Tabqa. A special academy for young women in the name of the martyrs "Rojda - Amara", with the aim of educating young women of all components and training them.

Areas with an Arab majority

Perhaps the most significant step during 2018, after the liberation of women in areas with an Arab majority such as al-Raqqa, al-Tabqa and Deir ez-Zor, is the formation of women's departments in those areas. The Women's Department was formed in al-Raqqa on 15 August, the Department of Women in al-Tabqa formed last year, Deir ez-Zor, which was formed on October 30, and these departments are the basic umbrella for all women in those areas.

Militarily

Women in the north of Syria, through their participation in the military field, became a role model for all women in the world. Women fighters within the Women's Protection Units became in the front lines in the face of mercenaries.

The victories achieved by the Women's Protection Units through their participation in the liberation campaign and then participating in al-Jazeera Tempest campaign that began on  September 9- 2017 were the main motive for the formation of the Women's Protection Units on October 12, the first female military battalion in al-Tabqa,  named the Martyr Haboun Arab, "who martyred during battles against IS in the liberation campaign of the city of al-Raqqa, which was liberated by Syria's Democratic Forces last year.

In these victories achieved by women in northern Syria, the Turkish occupation army tried to undermine the victories achieved by women by launching military attacks on the region of Afrin. During the attacks on Afrin region on 20 January, the Turkish aggression wanted to break the will of women in particular.

Violations of Turkish aggression against women

After the occupation of Afrin by the Turkish army and its mercenaries the war in Afrin has directly and indirectly affected the situation of women, where the direct violence of murder, rape, trafficking, the number of women who have lost their lives since the start of the Turkish occupation army to carry out its aggression on Afrin has reached about 207 women.

The number is increasing day by day, with the presence of the Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries in Afrin. Even in some villages controlled by some of the radical Islamic factions and Afrin became a large prison for women.

The number of abducted women in Afrin reached 145 in the latest survey conducted by our agency within 8 months. The Turkish army and its mercenaries.

The number of women kidnapped in Afrin 145 women in the latest statistics conducted by ANHA agency within 8 months, by the elements of the Turkish army and its mercenaries.

A.H

ANHA