Women's Independence Organization announces full support for YPJ

The Women's Independence Organization issued a statement today announcing its support for the Women's Protection Units (YPJ).

The organization emphasized that "the dissolution of the armed forces of the Women's Protection Units is ISIS in disguise!"

It explained that if the decision had included dissolving all armed formations without exception, it could have been viewed differently. However, targeting the Women's Protection Units specifically reflects, in its words, an ideology hostile to women.

It added that this trend reflects a traditional view that confines women's role to domestic work and rejects their participation in military and defense roles. emphasized that the issue is not the existence of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) themselves, but rather what she described as a "backward mentality" that diminishes women's status and limits their role in defending themselves and their communities.

The organization explained its objection to the decision from two main perspectives. First, Syria is witnessing the presence of numerous armed groups with religious or political affiliations that have committed violations against civilians and contributed to destabilization. It considered targeting a female force that played a role in confronting ISIS and protecting civilians to be, in its view, an extension of ISIS's own approach, questioning why the YPJ was targeted specifically.

Secondly, the organization believes that objecting to arming women reflects a rigid ideology that confines women's role to a narrow scope and refuses to acknowledge their ability to participate in defending society. It asserted that this approach rejects the view of women as active participants in the fields of security and defense.

The organization concluded its statement with a strong condemnation of the decision to dissolve the Women's Protection Units (YPJ), considering it a setback for women's rights. It emphasized women's right, like men's, to bear arms and defend their dignity and their communities, especially in a volatile environment rife with numerous armed groups.

In closing, the organization called upon all forces, entities, and individuals defending human rights and women's rights to reject this decision and to work to support women's right to actively participate in defending their communities.

ANHA