Category: Women
Women’s freedom, or women’s liberation, is one of the three main pillars of the Rojava Revolution and the stateless self-governance model of the Autonomous Administrations of North and East Syria (AANES), as well as the Kurdish freedom movement more broadly, which initiated the revolution.
Women’s liberation is the most central pillar of the Kurdish freedom movement, and it is no exaggeration to say that the Rojava Revolution is a women’s revolution. There are many elements of the new system of radical democracy which have been created to build up women’s autonomy and freedom, such as the co-chair system, women’s co-operatives, and autonomous women’s councils in every democratic structure at every level of the system.
This is a strategy based on a historical understanding that patriarchy was the first system of oppression, developed more than 5,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia, and that all other systems of oppression such as race, class, imperialism, colonialism and slavery, as well as capitalism and the state itself, all have their roots in patriachy – the rule of men and enslavement and subjugation of women.
In the articles below, you can find information about women in North and East Syria, their lives, co-operatives and communal economy projects, and how the new system aims to build up women’s confidence and autonomy. There are also articles about women’s lives, livelihoods and struggles for liberation in the regions of southeastern Turkey known as Bakur by their largely Kurdish populations.
Vîtariya Commune in Dêrik strengthens solidarity
The Vîtariya Commune built in Dêrik (Al-Malikiyah) aims to strengthen solidarity among different ethnic identities in the city.
Oil pollution devastates Rojava: Toxic air, cancer, and barren land threaten recovery
North and East Syria (Rojava) suffers from extensive oil pollution caused by Turkish bombardments of oil refineries, significantly affecting rivers, fields, and air quality, and leading to an increase in cancer cases among residents.
“Women’s culture is the start of women’s revolution” – Culture, History and women’s Liberation in North an East Syria: Hîlala Zêrîn
Hîlala Zêrîn translates to “golden crescent moon” and refers to the Fertile Crescent, the territory between the Zagros and Taurus mountains. This region was the birthplace of the Neolithic revolution and the location of the earliest civilizations and cities. Archaeologists have also found evidence of ancient matriarchal societies in the Fertile Crescent.
Cooperatives promote women’s economic empowerment in NE Syria
Kongra Star continues to develop projects and establish cooperatives in northeastern Syria to promote women’s economic empowerment.
Harvest of barley starts on foothills of Mount Kizwanan
Women living in the village of Fiwêda, located on the foothills of Mount Kizwanan have already started harvesting barley.
Hêvî Kindergarten provides safe learning environment to children in Hasakah
Hêvi, a kindergarten opened in the city of Hasakah, aims to provide a safe learning environment to children and support working mothers.
Women’s High University for Art and Culture
Today in North and East Syria the art and culture movement has developed further, building the Women’s High University for Art and Culture. The university is based in Haseke and is part of Hilala Zerin, an autonomous women’s organisation for art and culture. This article explores the university’s role within Hilala Zerin and its impact on the broader mission of building a democratic society and women’s freedom.
The voice of women: Xabur FM
Xabur FM has celebrated 10 years of diverse broadcasts led by women in Hesekê.
Kurdish Women’s Unity Platform established
Representatives of 21 women's organizations and political parties in Kurdistan came together and formed the Kurdish Women's Unity Platform.
The principles of the women’s democratic confederal system: theory and practice
Women’s revolution starts with transforming ourselves as individuals and leads to a complete overhaul of society. It’s about building your own identity, challenging men to reshape what it means to be a man, transforming both women and men to create free relationships, and fostering those relationships to build a freer society. It’s a massive, tough, but deeply historic and valuable struggle.
The meaning, future and outcomes of the historic Kurdish Unity Conference in Rojava
The conference held in Qamishlo stands as a serious and organized response to a century of loneliness, denial, and fragmentation imposed on a people. The final document of the Kurdish Unity Conference in Rojava calls for the unification of Kurdish regions under a federal Syrian umbrella as an integrated political and administrative unit.
