July 19th Revolution enabled women to build comprehensive women's system

With the winds of change brought about by the July 19 Revolution, the status of women underwent a remarkable transformation. After decades of marginalization, exclusion, and discrimination, women moved from being passive observers of events to becoming active participants in the revolutionary process. Their involvement opened new horizons, reinforcing their presence while highlighting their identity and capabilities across various fields.

Throughout this period, women assumed prominent roles in the military, political, institutional, social, and administrative spheres. They took part in decision-making positions, leading many to describe the uprising as the "Women's Revolution." The slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom" was also adopted to reflect women's role and status in society.

Administration and Organization

On the administrative and organizational level, the regions of Rojava witnessed a significant expansion in women's participation following the outbreak of the revolution. Women became actively involved in local administrative structures, from communes and neighborhood councils to city and canton councils, as well as executive and legislative councils and justice institutions. Special women's committees were also established within these administrative bodies to strengthen women's representation and contribute to protecting their rights.

The Autonomous Administration adopted the co-chair system, whereby every institution and decision-making body is jointly headed by one woman and one man. The system aims to ensure balanced governance and prevent decision-making from being monopolized by a single party. The Social Contract of the Autonomous Administration also stipulates the implementation of a 50 percent gender quota in all institutions, as part of efforts to enhance women's participation at all administrative and organizational levels.

Women's institutions and organizations

Alongside the growing participation of women in administrative institutions, Rojava and North and East (AANES) Syria witnessed the establishment of numerous women's institutions and organizations dedicated to defending women's rights and strengthening their role in various fields.

Among the most prominent of these organizations is Kongra Star, whose origins date back to 2005 when it was founded under the name Star Union. As its organizational work expanded, a two-day conference held on February 25, 2016, officially announced the change of its name to Kongra Star.

The organization was founded at a time when the women's union operating under the umbrella of the now-defunct Syrian Ba'ath Party presented itself as an organization representing Syrian women. However, Kongra Star's founders argue that the union's activities were largely limited to promoting the party's ideology without addressing issues related to women's rights.

Kongra Star organizes awareness campaigns aimed at raising women's intellectual and social awareness and encouraging them to demand their rights. Nevertheless, its work has faced challenges stemming from conservative customs and traditions, as well as the dominance of patriarchal attitudes within society.

In 2011, the first Women's House was established to provide services related to resolving family disputes, defending women's rights, and offering legal and social support. It also carries out certain responsibilities that intersect with the work of judicial institutions.

In 2014, the Women's Authority was established to develop policies and programs aimed at protecting women's rights and strengthening their participation in society. It also contributes to drafting legislation related to women's issues. The authority includes several specialized offices, including departments for the protection of women and children, shelters for women exposed to violence or threatened with killing, and a psychological support office.

One of the most significant initiatives launched within this framework was Jinwar Village. Construction began in 2017, and the village was officially inaugurated on November 25, 2018, coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Considered a unique project in the Middle East, Jinwar provides a safe environment for women who have experienced violence, while offering social, economic, healthcare, and educational services that help them build independent lives.

As the women's movement continued to grow, many additional organizations were established, bringing the number of women's organizations operating in Rojava to more than 20 institutions and associations. These include the Women's Council of North and East Syria, founded in 2019; the Syrian Women's Council, established in 2017; the Sara Organization to Combat Violence Against Women, founded in 2013; as well as the Young Women's Union and the Women's Media Union.

On the security and military front

As attacks on Rojava by the Jabhet al-Nusra, Turkey, and ISIS/Daesh mercenaries intensified, the women's struggle entered a new phase that required practical measures to defend the region and safeguard the gains women had achieved after decades of marginalization and exclusion.

In this context, on April 4, 2013, women established a military defense force known as the Women's Protection Units (YPJ), following the formation of women's battalions and brigades in several cities. Prior to that, they had organized themselves under the umbrella of the Community Protection Units (YXG).

The first military academy dedicated exclusively to women was also established in the Derik region under the name Martyr Shelan Academy. Its first graduating class completed training on May 9, 2013, under the name Martyr Rêvan Course.

During their participation in repelling attacks, the Women's Protection Units suffered their first casualties: Perîvan Nûjan, who was martyred on May 28, 2013, and Slava Afrin, who was killed on May 29, 2013. Slava Afrin was a member of the YPJ Military Council and one of the participants in the organization's founding conference.

Since its official establishment, the Women's Protection Units have participated in confronting attacks by various mercenary groups and the Turkish occupation, beginning with Jabhet al-Nusra and ISIS, and later Turkish-backed armed factions that carried out brutal attacks on the region. During the attacks on Kobani, Serêkaniyê/ Ras al-Ain, Jazaa, Tel Hamis, Tel Brak, and Tel Tamr in 2013, the YPJ played a prominent role in defense operations and lost hundreds of fighters.

When ISIS launched its offensive against Kobani on September 15, 2014, the Women's Protection Units gained even greater prominence, particularly following the self-sacrifice operations carried out by the fighters Arîn Mîrkan and Rêvana Rojava, as well as the leadership demonstrated by Zehra Benaber and Avîndar Botan during the battles inside the city.

This role transformed the Women's Protection Units into a symbol of resistance for many supporters around the world, encouraging women from various countries to join their ranks. Among them was the German fighter Ivana Hoffmann, who was killed on March 7, 2015.

The YPJ also participated in repelling ISIS attacks on Shengal and contributed to rescuing more than 3,000 Yazidi women and children out of the 6,417 who had been abducted by ISIS.

The units also took part in military campaigns against ISIS in al-Hol, al-Shaddadi, Manbij, al-Tabqa, Deir ez-Zor, and Raqqa, which ISIS had declared the capital of its so-called "Caliphate." They also participated in the defense of Afrin, Serêkaniyê, and Girê Spî during the period between 2018 and 2019.

The Women's Protection Units included fighters from diverse ethnic communities, including Kurds, Arabs, Syriacs, Turkmens, Armenians, and others, in addition to volunteers from various countries.

During the most recent attacks on Rojava by armed factions affiliated with the Syrian Interim Government, the Women's Protection Units once again took part in defending the region, losing members in the process while protecting the area and the gains achieved by women. The total number of YPJ fighters who have fallen in the line of duty has reached 1,002.

Politically and diplomatically

These achievements culminated in women in North and East Syria and Rojava building a broad network of relations and communication with various parties and countries, while strengthening their presence in political and diplomatic forums.

Within this framework, Kongra Star opened offices and representative bodies in several countries, including Lebanon, Southern Kurdistan, Egypt, France, Germany, Belgium, and the United States of America, with the aim of establishing direct channels of communication with governments, parliaments, and international institutions.

Kurdish women’s delegations also held meetings with heads of state, foreign ministers, and parliamentarians in Europe and the United States. They participated in international conferences, seminars, and meetings, in addition to sessions at the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, and the United Nations, where they addressed issues related to combating terrorism, human rights, and the role of women at both local and regional levels.

Kurdish women have played a prominent role on the international stage through their efforts to build diplomatic and political relations with various countries, explain the Autonomous Administration project, and present their political vision in Rojava.

After more than a decade of political and social activity, the First Conference of Kurdish Women was held in 2025 under the slogan “The Leadership of Kurdish Women Guarantees Kurdish National Unity,” with the participation of around 300 female delegates representing political parties, women’s organizations and movements, democratic self-administration institutions, as well as intellectuals, writers, artists, journalists, and figures from Aleppo and Damascus.

Over the past years, women’s diplomacy has succeeded in building an extensive network of relations with local, regional, and global women’s movements, as well as academics, writers, women’s rights activists, and media professionals. It has contributed to strengthening popular and international solidarity and mobilizing humanitarian and human rights support for the issues it raises.

Economic empowerment of women

The Women’s Revolution emerged from a vision that holds that liberation from patriarchal domination cannot be achieved without economic independence, which is considered one of the most essential foundations for ending dependency, strengthening women’s presence, and enhancing their role in society.

Within this framework, women moved swiftly to build an economic model based on self-sufficiency by establishing women’s cooperatives and launching agricultural, industrial, and commercial projects managed by women, with the aim of economically empowering them and increasing their participation in various productive sectors.

In the agricultural sector, women relied on investing in agricultural land through the cultivation of diverse crops, including wheat, cumin, cotton, and lentils. They also established plastic greenhouses for vegetable production and implemented projects in poultry farming and livestock breeding.

In the industrial sector, sewing and textile workshops were launched to produce clothing and meet the needs of the local market. In addition, shops were opened to market these products, food-processing factories were established, and ovens and bakeries were operated within cooperative or women-led projects.

With the establishment of the Autonomous administration, employment opportunities for women expanded significantly. This contributed to achieving greater financial independence, reducing economic dependency, strengthening women’s self-confidence, developing their personalities, and increasing their participation in public life.

Many women also moved toward establishing private commercial and service projects, including clothing and food stores, as well as markets, cafés, and restaurants managed by women, as part of expanding women’s presence in economic activity and supporting their financial independence

The Women’s Revolution was not limited to military, political, and economic dimensions; it also extended to social, intellectual, and legal spheres. Women emerged as some of the most prominent actors in the process of change by striving to establish the principles of equality and justice and to build institutions dedicated to protecting women’s rights.

Within this framework, the Women’s House was opened in 2011 in the city of Qamishlo, before this experience gradually expanded to various cities across North and East Syria and Rojava. The Women’s House became one of the institutions concerned with receiving women’s cases and working to address them.

These institutions are based on a set of laws and regulations related to personal status and women’s rights, which aim to protect women’s rights and strengthen their legal status. They address issues such as the prohibition of polygamy, divorce, child custody, women’s rights to inheritance and dowry, and the marriage of underage girls.

Within the Autonomous Administration experience, these legislations are viewed as a step toward enhancing women’s participation in public life, consolidating the principles of equality, and building a democratic society based on social justice.

From an intellectual perspective, women sought to develop their vision of their role in society through the establishment of the Jineolojî Academy, which is defined as a social science focusing on the study of women and their issues. In this context, it is considered one of the intellectual foundations of the Women’s Revolution. Work on it began in 2015 within the institutions of the Autonomous Administration.

Jineolojî Academy (the science of women) aims to reread women’s history and their position in society, promote concepts of equality and justice, confront the prevailing patriarchal mentality, and reinforce the principles of democracy, ecology, and women’s freedom.

This intellectual approach also seeks to achieve greater freedom and equal participation between women and men, while strengthening the values of collective work and participatory practices in order to create a more democratic and egalitarian society.

On the cultural and artistic level

In the cultural and artistic fields, women have worked to revive cultural heritage and folklore, in addition to organizing women’s cultural activities within independent frameworks.

Within this context, the Hilal Zêrîn Movement for Women’s Culture was established in 2016 and expanded throughout North and East Syria as well as Aleppo. The movement focuses on reviving women’s culture and arts and includes musical and singing groups, dabke dance groups, and theatrical groups that present works addressing women’s issues in society, while also preserving heritage and folklore and introducing it to the public.

The movement is considered one of the cultural initiatives that emerged during the Autonomous Administration experience. It aims to strengthen women’s presence in the cultural and artistic scene, highlight their role in preserving cultural heritage, and encourage their participation in the production of artistic works.

The Women’s Revolution is presented as a cultural and social project alongside its political dimensions. In this context, leader Abdullah Ocalan states in one of his defenses:

“The system lost long ago the opportunity to reform itself through reform. What is needed is a women’s revolution that moves through all fields of society. Just as women’s slavery is the deepest form of slavery, the women’s revolution must also be the deepest of the revolutions of freedom and equality.”

Ongoing efforts

Alongside all these achievements, women have faced a range of challenges, including social legacies, patriarchal and authoritarian mindsets, and customs and traditions that limit women’s roles. These challenges also include the continued cases of violence against women, including killings. The issue of the lack of official recognition of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) has also emerged as one of the most prominent political and military challenges.

The women’s movement seeks to achieve the independent organization of women across various fields, while preserving the autonomy of its institutions and developing them throughout the years of the revolution, which is considered one of the main factors that have distinguished this experience.

These challenges continue to exist even after the fall of the Ba’ath regime and Syria’s entry into a transitional phase, amid ongoing discussions regarding the future of women’s institutions and their role within the structure of the Syrian state.

Following the agreement announced on 29 January 2025 between the interim government and the Syrian Democratic Forces SDF, some dialogue tracks have witnessed progress. However, the issue of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) remains one of the unresolved matters within the framework of integration arrangements.

The units maintain their demand for official recognition in the new Syrian constitution while preserving their organizational specificity. Meanwhile, the interim government proposes a different mechanism for integrating them into military institutions, which the units view as a reduction of their autonomy and of the achievements they have made throughout the years of the revolution.

ANHA