Women’s Body in AANES holds symposium on March 8th

Under the slogan “With Arin and Barin’s Resistance, We Started, With Hevrin and Zahra’s Policy, We Resisted, and With Saada and Hind’s Administration, We Will Prevail,” today, the Women’s Commission in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria held a dialogue seminar, through which it explained the importance of women’s role in politics, administration and protection.

4 March, 2021 17:19

AL-RAQQA

The Co-chair of the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria, Berivan Khaled, attended the symposium, and the Head of the Executive Body of the Syrian Democratic Council, Ilham Ahmed, participated via the Internet, in addition to the presence of several independent feminist personalities, political parties and female jurists, in addition to the offices and committees of women in Afrin, al-Jazira and the Euphrates regions, where the number of women participating in this symposium reached 150.

The symposium began with a minute of silence; followed by welcoming the Deputy of the Women’s Body in the Autonomous Administration, Roken Mulla Ibrahim. After that, the seminar’s program was drawn up, which consists of three axes. The first axis (Women and Politics) was delivered by the Head of the Executive Body of the Syrian Democratic Council, Ilham Ahmed, via the Internet, the second axis (Women and Administration) was presented by Jehan Khedro, the Deputy of the Women's Body in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, and the third axis (Women and Protection) was given by the Co-chair of the Self-Defense Body for North and East Syria, Lilwa al-Abdullah.

Politics is related to society and women

The first axis was given by the Head of the Executive Council of the Syrian Democratic Council, Ilham Ahmed, on the Internet, and she said: “Politics has a relationship with all areas of life, and the rate of women's participation in political life varies from one country to another and from one society to another according to the system of laws, values and ideas that prevail in society. In recent decades, there has been a clear increase in the pace of calls to empower women and allow them to participate in political life.”

Ilham Ahmed indicated, “The issue of politics has a relationship with society, women and the individual, and not as it has been defined as pertaining to a specific or smaller group within the state.”

Women gave a democratic impression

Ilham Ahmed added: "Syrian women, regardless of their nationality, religion and ethnicity, have participated in many international conferences to discuss the Syrian issue, and have been able to add a democratic print to these relations through their involvement in formulating the political decision.”

Then discussions and inquiries on this axis started by the participating women, as the Co-chair of the General Council in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, Siham Qaryo, said, “We have to realize that all these gains would not have been achieved if women had not been aware and realized the reality they are witnessing. In addition, they have not been achieved only through organization, training and intellectual awareness, starting with self-knowledge and ending with walking on the path of freedom.”

Siham added, “We can say that what distinguished the North and East Syria Revolution from previous revolutions is the organization of women in all fields, and the continuation of developing this organization and preserving its feminist character during the revolution, and this is what made it a women's revolution.”

The success of administration depends on the emancipation of women

In the second axis, the Head of the Women’s Commission in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, Jihan Khedro, said, “Women are an essential part in the formation of human societies. They were the first to give the credit for raising, preparing and establishing society, and throughout history they went through many stages and difficulties, being looked at as a secondary gender created for pleasure and meeting the needs of male mentality.”

She added, “As for women today, under the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria, and with the beginning of the July 19^th Revolution, 2012, which sparked in Kobane, they followed the third line, which is the line of legitimate defense for society.”

Jihan emphasized, “From this point, women were able to prove themselves and demonstrate their ability in these areas, and it has become known to all segments of society that ensuring the success of the administration is primarily to ensure women's liberation and open the way for them to effectively participate in social, political, institutional, military and administrative life.”

In this axis, the Head of the Women's Office in the Syrian Democratic Council, Dbayeh al-Nasser, said: “The experience of women in these areas is new, and the attack is still continuing on them. The occupation of Afrin, Serêkaniyê, and Girê Spî is nothing but a form of striking Woman’s Revolution. Therefore, women must defend their rights to build an ethical, political and democratic society.”

Women must highlight their role in military power

As for the third axis, the Head of the Self-Defense Office for North and East Syria, Bayan Mohamed, said: “Women must protect themselves from this chaotic society, and forge their own way in the struggle to prove themselves and their status in society.”

Bayan Mohamed concluded by sending a message to all women stating, “Every woman must highlight her role in the military force because she is the basis of every political process for her role not to be marginalized in future policies, and to be granted an effective role in all areas of life.”

D.H