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.

Syrian Free Women’s Foundation aims to empower women

The Syrian Free Women’s Foundation aims to empower women by organizing vocational training courses and awareness-raising activities.

Women in Hesekê open Inanna Textile Workshop as part of 8 March activities

The Inanna Textile Workshop opened in the neighborhood of Neşwa in Hesekê as part of the activities for 8 March.

Displaced women bake bread to earn living

Displaced women of Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ayn) living in the Til Nesri village of Til Temir, have baked flatbread called “Waşûkanî” to earn a living.

Inclusion in Times of War: The Organization Nûdem

In 2021, Nûdem was founded as a non-governmental organization working with and towards the needs of people with disabilities in the Autonomous Region and the whole of Syria. The focus is on pedagogical and societal works aimed at societal change.

Woman in Zirgan plants seeds after collecting remnants of war

Hena Xidir, resident of Zirgan, plants seeds after collecting the remnants of war to breathe life into nature.

Qamishlo Women’s Congress publishes final declaration

The final declaration of the Women’s Congress in Qamishlo has been published. The declaration includes proposals related to political, legal, economic, social, educational, and academic matters.

‘Zenobia’s legacy challenges and encourages women to actively participate in building Syria’s future’ – interview

In an exclusive interview with Medya News, Khoud Al-Issa, spokesperson of the Zenobia Women's Gathering in North and East Syria, outlines the current attacks against women in Syria and explains why the recent decision of the Syrian interim government to remove Queen Zenobia's name from the national curriculum must be seen as an attempt to erase the history of Syrian women.

‘A space specific to women’: Women’s library opens in Kurdish-majority Diyarbakır, Turkey

Kayapınar Municipality in Diyarbakır (Amed), Turkey, led by the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, has opened a new library, the Library of Women’s Works .

Interview: “We aim to ensure that women play a part in constructing the new constitution” – Mona Youssef, Syrian Women’s Council

Mona Youssef, administrator of the Jazira Canton office of the Syrian Women’s Council spoke to RIC about the recent developments in Syria, potential avenues for change and action in the current situation, and the work of the Syrian Women’s Council therein.