Jin Jiyan Azadi – Women life freedom
The new integration agreement does not yet enshrine women’s rights and the further implementation of their achievements. Therefore, we must continue to fight and negotiate, step by step, for the laws of the agreement and an inclusive Syrian Constitution.
The co-chair system is not only a safeguard for gender quotas, but also guarantees that women’s perspectives and values influence political decisions. Only in this way is the development of a democratic society possible. To date, there is no provision in the agreement stipulating that this system will remain in place. On the contrary, it mentions that there should be a chair and an assistant, which is inconsistent with the co-chair system. No mention to women’s participation in the new system.
The Kurdish language must also be preserved as the language of instruction. Language means identity; it is the expression of a collective memory that transmits cultural and historical knowledge. Language means being. We are fighting for the preservation of the Kurdish language and its constitutional recognition.
We also demand that Jineologi, the science of women, remains part of the curriculum and be taught at universities and schools.
Therefore, the constitutional clause for the adoption of Decree No. 13 on the protection of the linguistic and cultural rights of Kurds must be included in the Constitution.
Women’s institutions, such as women’s shelters, organizations, courts, and councils, must continue to be supported and funded. Without independent women’s organization, there can be no improvement in living conditions and women’s rights.
The YPJ, the women’s unit of the Autonomous Administration’s self-defense forces, must become part of the Syrian army. For us, the YPJ represents concrete protection and security for women.
It was the women’s units of the YPJ who fought ISIS in 2014. We need the same courage and bravery of women today. Today, the Syrian Interim Government has freed prisoners from ISIS camps and prisons, and these prisoners have now scattered throughout Syria. This act once again demonstrates the Islamist and jihadist mentality pursued by the Syrian Interim Government and the supporting Turkish state. The rise of the so-called Islamic State in the Middle East will also mean the murder, oppression, rape, and torture of women.
On behalf of all women in Northeast Syria, Kongra Star declares: “There is no alternative to constitutional recognition to protect the women’s revolution and guarantee a democratic Syria.”
Therefore, the achievements of the women’s revolution, as well as universally applicable women’s rights, must be enshrined in the new Syrian Constitution. Independent participation of women must be ensured in all institutions and areas of society.
Furthermore, we demand the investigation of the cases of the disappeared and missing, the assumption of responsibility for the prosecution of perpetrators of violence against women, and compensation for women affected by violence.
We call on the international community to officially recognize the Democratic Autonomous Administration of Northeast Syria and to acknowledge the pioneering role of women within this administration.
Today, we express our determination and our resistance. They will not be able to break our will, for we women worldwide already have a long shared history of resistance, which we continue to write today!
We, the women’s movements and organizations in Rojava, as Kurdish, Arab, Aramean, Assyrian, and Armenian women, defend our achievements today and promise that we will not allow the destruction of our heritage.
Shengal
Only when all women are liberated, we will live in a truly inclusive society.
The right to self-defense also applies to the people of Shengal. The Iraqi state’s demand for the disarmament of the Yazidi self-defense forces is irresponsible and dangerous. The Yazidi forces are expected to lay down their weapons and thus abandon their self-defense by March 10th. The Iraqi military has established a new base in Shengal. Initial raids have already begun. The transfer of thousands of ISIS prisoners to the region is also a huge threat.
On August 3, 2014, the so-called “Islamic State” committed genocide against the Yazidi population in Shengal – after they had been disarmed under the promise of protection. This historic failure must not be repeated.
Shengal is currently militarily besieged by HASAD and the Iraqi army. There is no escape route. Anyone who calls for disarmament under these conditions risks another massacre. The Yazidi community must never again be left unprotected.
Call for international unity among all women
To fight for and protect the rights of all women worldwide, we must come together. We must discuss common strategies and practices against patriarchy, capitalism, and colonial exploitation, and forge transnational alliances of hope.
The current events in the Middle East must be seen as part of the plan by imperialist powers to redraw the Middle East’s boundaries. This division is based on a fascist, misogynistic, and capitalist state logic. To enforce this state and power logic, which is contrary to the establishment of democratic and self-governing societies, a brutal war is being used as a means. We know that women and children are the most affected by the violence of war. Flight, uprooting and separation from family, dependency, oppression, violence, and murder are deliberate strategies of this war.
The war that Israel and the US launched with their imperialist attack on Iran on February 28th has spread further and is claiming more and more lives. Hundreds of people have already been killed in Iran, the majority of them women and children. The entire Middle East is affected by the war, and the attempt at a new division of territory is clearly evident. In the power struggle between the US, Israel, and Iran, democratic projects in Kurdish-dominated regions like Rojhilat and Başur are being deliberately targeted. Rojhilat, in particular, is at the center of the war. As well as Iran attacking other countries, they are also attacking the Kurdish opposition forces. The population is organized and vigilant, which is their greatest form of self-defense.
Especially in times of a Third World War, women’s greatest strength and defense lies in coming together, uniting, and sowing hope.
Because only when all women are liberated can we live in a liberated society.
With this in mind, we wish all women a militant day of struggle!
March 8, 2026 – Women Defend Rojava
