Second conference of Armenian Women’s Union held in Hasaka

The conference began this morning under the slogan, "Equality... Free Life... The Struggle of Armenian Women." 

It is being held at Marbella Restaurant in Hasaka and attended by around 150 delegates and representatives from women's organizations in the region, including Leyla Qaramane, Co-Chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, Rehan Luqo, spokesperson for Kongra Star, and Ramziya Mohammed, Co-Chair of the Democratic Society Movement (TEV-DEM).

The event opened with a moment of silence, followed by a reading of the evaluations of leader Abdullah Ocalan by Lusnak Kafrian, a member of the Armenian Women’s Union, and several speeches were delivered afterward.

In her opening remarks, Anahid Kasbyan, spokesperson for the Armenian Women’s Union, said, "We are pleased to stand together at this milestone of the second conference of the Armenian Women’s Union. We are more confident and organized alongside the sons and daughters of the martyrs of our Armenian people, and the descendants of genocide victims."

Anahid Kasbyan pointed out that revolutions in many parts of the world have granted women some rights but also deprived them of many. However, the July 19 Revolution (2012) marked a true beginning for the liberation of women and saving Armenian women from erasure and loss.

Kasbyan emphasized that the formation of the Armenian Women’s Union is a "civilizational achievement and a necessary struggle" that emerged during the revolution, aiming to intensify Armenian women's efforts to contribute socially and culturally and express the identity of Armenian women.

Rehan Luqo, the spokesperson for Kongra Star in North and East Syria, congratulated all revolutionary, pioneering, and resisting women who have worked and continue to work to change the patriarchal mindset and spread the idea of women’s liberation.

She affirmed: "The establishment and formation of many women’s institutions and organizations, including the Armenian Women’s Union, is one of the most significant outcomes of the revolution in Rojava and NE Syria. These organizations and women’s movements were founded in record time, and the credit for this goes to the thinker and philosopher, leader Abdullah Ocalan.”

Meanwhile, Hivi Hasan, Co-Chair of the Martyrs' Families Council in Jazera Canton, highlighted the Armenian people's long-standing struggle in building the region’s civilization, pointing to the key role of Armenian women in achieving many accomplishments.

She called on all Syrian women to take responsibility during this historical phase by organizing themselves in all fields of life and overcoming all challenges.

Leyla Qarahman, Co-Chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, honored the memory of the Armenian genocide martyrs and praised the continuous efforts of Armenian women to achieve their goals. She noted that the recurring wars and conflicts in the Middle East have caused a social and cultural imbalance between men and women.

She explained that the capitalist system, along with its ideological framework, "wages a terrible and destructive war against women worldwide to enslave and imprison them intellectually and physically, excluding them from political and social life." In response, she called for women’s solidarity to prevent any attempts to undermine their struggles.

Ramziya Mohammed, Co-Chair of the Democratic Society Movement, shed light on the attacks and plans targeting Armenian women, stating that they are still ongoing against the peoples of NE Syria.

She drew attention to the struggle of women in the Middle East under the slogan "Women, Life, Freedom," in opposition to the patriarchal mentality, considering it a "firm message from women around the world not to surrender."

Adalat Omar, Chair of the Women’s Body in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, praised the Armenian women's struggle against genocidal attacks and emphasized the need to escalate their efforts during this decisive phase in North and East Syria and Syria as a whole. This phase, she said, requires the pooling of all efforts to resolve the crisis and bring peace.

Following the speeches, the preparatory committee presented a short film about the work of the Armenian Women’s Union over the past two years.

The conference continues with a reading and discussion of the union’s internal regulations, and a statement will be issued at the end.

A-H

ANHA