Women's Conference: "Govt. must change policies; women gain protection"

The Kongra Star was held in Azadi Park in Qamishlo, under the slogan "Together to Guarantee Women's Rights in the Syrian Constitution."

Following the opening remarks, the first session addressed two main axes concerning women's rights; "politics and rights," and extensive discussions ensued.

In the second session, Sarya Afrin; the member of the General Command of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ), presented a seminar on protection. Fawza Yousef; the member of the Presidential Council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), presented a seminar on integration, which was then discussed with the attendees.

The second session was moderated by Ronahi Hassen; the member of the Democratic Policy Relations and Agreements Committee of the Kongra Star.

In the third session, Sarya Afrin; the member of the Women Protection Units (YPJ) General Command, highlighted the vital role of women in defending and protecting society. She emphasized the sacrifices of female fighters who were martyred for the freedom of society and women's rights, and congratulated women on Newroz and International Women's Day.

Sarya Afrin said, "This revolution began with women's leadership and women like the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) have taken on the responsibility of defending women's gains. From all over the homeland, women have secured their places in the ranks of the units."

She added, "In our battles against ISIS mercenaries, thousands of our comrades, both men and women, were martyred confronting ISIS's patriarchal terrorism. We dedicated our efforts to protecting human values and strived to be a model for Kurdish women. Our struggle, based on the philosophy of 'Women, Life, Freedom,' will continue, and now we must protect the gains of the women's revolution."

Sarya Afrin made clear the current situation in Syria, noting that women have made significant sacrifices and continue their activism with a high level of commitment. She emphasized the importance of the integration process, stating, "The discussion about integration is ongoing. We are part of the Syrian Democratic Forces and plan to participate, but unfortunately, the Interim Government has not cooperated. We continue our efforts to ensure women's participation in the defense, political, and social spheres in Syria. We insist that women not be incorporated into the conventional army, and we strive to reclaim our rights ourselves through struggle. Our goal is to protect women throughout Syria."

Sarya Afrin concluded, "As a protection force, we believe in our responsibility to protect Syria and the gains made by women. We are not affiliated with any interim government, and we will reclaim our rights through struggle. Syria cannot exist without women. We must be a model in all fields; military, civilian, and political." She affirmed, "We hope our model will be an inspiration to women in Kurdistan and the world. Our project is based on this principle, and our strength gives us a great responsibility towards our people."

Following this, Fawza Yousef; the member of the Presidential Council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), spoke about the fourth axis of the conference: integration.

Yousef explained that "the country is going through a critical phase, emphasizing that women are the most affected by its repercussions, given the prevailing patriarchal mindset, both internally and through the interventions of external powers." She pointed out that "the crises are not confined to Syria, but rather begin there and subsequently spread to other components, due to the absence of a just vision for resolving the problems and the dominance of systems that lack domestic justice and burden women and the people."

Yousef questioned what has changed in Syria after 15 years since the outbreak of the revolution, recalling the immense sacrifices made by the Syrian people; martyrs and millions of displaced persons and refugees, in pursuit of freedom and equality, before the revolution was exploited, leading to its continuation to this day without achieving its goals.

She added, "The dominant global powers have no genuine intention of guaranteeing the freedom of peoples and women, calling for the people's need to focus on protecting their own rights." She noted that what happened in January marked the beginning of what she described as the "Middle East flood," pointing out that its origin in this region stemmed from its transformation into a democratic model and a source of hope for women and peoples, which prompted some powers to attempt to undermine this model.

She affirmed that efforts were directed towards resolving problems through democratic means, but some parties, including Iran, rushed to implement their own agendas. She stressed the necessity for women to consciously assess this phase, identify weaknesses, and work to address them.

She explained that attempts to target the hopes of peoples and women were met with strong resistance, which played a decisive role in preventing massacres, emphasizing that without this resistance, the fate of the Kurdish people would have been similar to what happened in Shengal, noting that this resistance contributed to their resurgence.

"We are not satisfied with the agreement, but we protected ourselves from genocide"

Fawza Yousef addressed the January 29th Agreement, saying, "This agreement was not to our liking, but the attacks had already begun, and with the escalation of what was called the 'regional storm,' we managed to protect ourselves from genocide. We consider this an opportunity to reorganize and continue the struggle."

She emphasized that the struggle would continue through political and legal means, noting that integration was a form of struggle to protect rights, and this experience could be generalized to the rest of Syria. She added that issues of women, democracy, freedom, and justice were issues that concerned all of Syria.

She explained that the integration files included a ceasefire, the return of displaced persons, language, education, and the military aspect, some of which had been partially achieved, while others remained unresolved and complex. She pointed out that some appointments, especially in the Kobani administration, did not have popular acceptance, stressing the necessity for officials to be chosen by the will of the people.

She also pointed to the lack of female representation in appointments so far, and considered this a fundamental problem, in addition to the failure to return displaced people, especially from Serê Kaniyê, despite the continued efforts to achieve this.

Integration does not mean assimilation""

Fawza Yousef emphasized that Integration meant mutual participation between two parties, not the assimilation of only one, arguing that such assimilation would lead to exclusion. She added that the state was also required to change its policies, noting that the current constitutional declaration was insufficient and that the people of the region had the right to learn in their own languages, affirming that this right was legitimate and that the Autonomous Administration project was a necessity for all of Syria, not just for specific areas.

Women cannot be left without protection""

Regarding the situation of women, Fawza Yousef stated that the government claimed there were no institutions representing women, adding that new institutions must have been established alongside supporting existing ones, including the establishment of a ministry dedicated for Women.

She emphasized that women in Syria faced violence and did not enjoy sufficient rights, even within laws pertaining to children. She noted that the women's issue presented a social, moral, economic, and political challenge.

She addressed the role of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ), asserting that "women cannot be left without protection." She pointed out that the Interim Government was demanding that women end their role and return home, wondering about guarantees existed that women would not be subjected to further attacks, especially given the continued threat from ISIS mercenaries.

She added, "The world is experiencing conflict, and no living being is without protection. Therefore, we cannot abandon our self-defense. We are compelled to take our measures, and we will not be victims. We will continue to defend our rights legally, and we will not return to our homes because since the beginning of the revolution, we have participated in the struggle for freedom."

She also called for the continued operation of women's institutions and the strengthening of women's role in administration to reach 50% representation, emphasizing that rights were not granted but seized through struggle. She proposed forming a committee to develop a clear action plan to support women's, political, and community institutions, including women's protection units.

At the end of the session, discussions took place among the participants, and proposals were put forward. Emphasis was placed on the necessity of all women's organizations obtaining official licenses and on the importance of continuing to hold such conferences. Some participating mothers stressed that they considered themselves part of the Women's Protection Units, while displaced women affirmed their inability to live under the policies of the Interim Government, calling for the establishment of independent women's institutions.

ANHA