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.
Access to kindergarten increases women’s labor force participation in NE Syria
The kindergartens opened in the Euphrates Canton of North and East Syria by the Women's Council aim to increase women’s labor force participation and provide safe and healthy spaces to children.
Hope and Contradictions: My Year in Rojava
This libertarian socialist experiment, established in the middle of one of the world’s most brutal and politically complex war zones, has tried to build a new social order rooted in feminism, ecology, direct democracy, and cooperative self-management of industry. It has survived confrontations against two separate forms of fascism and the evolving schemes and counter-schemes of the imperialist great powers that dominate the region. AANES provides a home for refugees and an island of stability in a country torn to pieces by the civil war that followed President Bashar al-Assad’s suppression of the 2011 Arab Spring revolution in Syria. But the revolution is not without its problems and limitations, which Pye will explore in a series of essays exploring the war front, the deliberative councils, the feminist spaces, the military, the factions, and the economy of this nascent society beyond the state where millions of people have lived under a form of revolutionary self-government for over ten years.
Kongra Star: We want to bring the Rojava Revolution outside North and East Syria
In this interview with ANF, Rûken Ehmed described the diplomatic work of the Kongra Star women's association in Northern and Eastern Syria: "We want to spread the Rojava Revolution to the outside world and reach women in the Middle East and Africa."
Woman opens Levant-style restaurant in Raqqa to revive her city’s culture
Reem Dhiab opened a Levant-style restaurant in Raqqa after moving from Damascus to revive the culture of her city and change perceptions of gender roles.
Preparing women’s contract in NE, Syria in coming months
Fawza Youssef indicated that work on preparing a women's contract will begin in Norh and East Syria in the coming months.
Kongra Star delegation visits JINWAR women’s village
JINWAR is the only village in the Middle East where only women live. It was opened on 25 November 2018 on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Raqqa’s rebirth gives hope
Raqqa has taken steps to recover from the devastating effects of ISIS occupation and war. The change and transformation in the city give hope.
Environmental campaign in Kobanê
Women and children in Kobanê plant trees as part of the “Be Environmentally Friendly” campaign launched by the Environmental Organization of Euphrates Region in North and East Syria.
Shehmaran Health Center for Natural Medicine opened in Shehba
In Sheba, a region where thousands of people who fled Afrin because of the Turkish occupation of Afrin in 2018 have been living for the last 6 years, a health center for natural medicine was opened by the Kongra Star Health Committee on January 15, the anniversary of their foundation. This center is intended to
Webinar on the Rojava Revolution at the World Social Forum in Nepal
On the morning of 17 February, a session was held on “Rojava Revolution, an Alternative World Being Built in North and East Syria,” organized by the Civil Diplomacy Center in North and East Syria, in collaboration with the Kongra Star Women’s Movement and the Jineology Center. 50 people from all over the world participated online to learn about the methods of the people- and women-led revolution in North and East Syria.
Education in mother language saves communities from extinction
After the Revolution in Rojava, the education system in NE Syria has been fundamentally changed. Mother language has been officially taught in all schools based on the principle of a democratic nation that protects the rights of all nations. Children are educated in their mother language and this saves communities in NE Syria from extinction and protects their cultural, artistic and historical heritage.
