Medya News
Daily Review
Breaking News
Subscribe
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • More
    • Audio Articles
    • Economy
    • Culture & Art
    • Ecology
    • Newsletter
    • Daily Review
Youtube
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • More
    • Audio Articles
    • Economy
    • Culture & Art
    • Ecology
    • Newsletter
    • Daily Review
Youtube
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
Medya News

Rojava: Women’s struggle and revolution

3:50 pm 21/07/2021
A A
Rojava: Women’s struggle and revolution
Share post

Zozan Sima

“With past experiences as a starting point, the revolutions of the 21st century are bound to repeat the errors and defeats of the previous two centuries as long as they do not take on the character of a women’s revolution.” writes Zozan Sima for Yeni Özgür Politika.

The Kurdistan revolution must develop within its inherent character of a women’s revolution. Long before the Rojava Revolution started to develop as a women’s revolution Leader Apo [the name preferred by most Kurds for Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK] stated that the Southern Kurdistan Revolution should evolve as a women’s revolution, and observed that “the revolutions of the 21st century are actually women’s revolutions.” Without a doubt efforts inspired by this statement have clearly determined the character of the Rojava Revolution.

The pioneers of the Kurdistan women’s freedom movement have carried out their work in the community here. Word of the resistance of Sakine Cansız [see note below] in prison and her letters from prison had already been circulating in the 1980s, and many babies were named Sara [an alias used by Sakine] or Sakine by their parents at the time. Ş. Binevş Agal used the alias Saliha during her work in many areas during the same period. Hozan Mizgîn, Hanım Yaverkaya, Suna Çiçek, Yıldız Durmuş and many others… Rûken, Fîdan, Dîcle and Şîlan were the first women cadres to join from Rojava (Western Kurdistan), following whom thousands of others joined the ranks. They have contributed to the revolution with heart and soul in activities ranging from militia-work to dispatch, from teaching Kurdish to financial support. The women’s commitees, organized long before the revolution, later formed the basis for Yekîtiya Star [Star Congress, founded in 2005, a confederation of women’s organizations in Rojava, Syria]. The Rojavan Women’s Revolution has not emerged by coincidence, but has developed gradually on this framework.

The Women’s Revolution is not limited to taking active part in the war. Historically, there are numerous cases in which women have joined the fight and fought bravely to defend their lands and stand against fascism. During the Second World War, more than one million women served in the Soviet army as infantry soldiers, medical workers, sharp shooters, intelligence agents, laundresses, surgeons, pilots or partisans. Yet, this did not lead the October Revolution to take on the character of a women’s revolution. In Svetlana Alexievich’s book titled “War’s Unwomanly Face”, we find traces of this in statements made by women who have taken part in the fighting: “War does not smell of women; it smells of men… It seems like I’ve lived two lives. The one of manhood, the other of womanhood… The officer enters the bunker: ‘Cut hers (hair) like a man’s’ he says. ‘But this is a woman.’ ‘No, she’s a soldier. She’ll be a woman again after the war.'”

It is often expressed in memoirs how everything becomes different as the war ends. They tell of the attitude of men and the whole society towards women, and express their disillusionment. This is the unfortunate destiny of women in many revolutions. They have been treated not as the pioneers and the main force of the revolution, rather as those who have made a contribution but at a certain point are expected to go back to their homes and to their former status.

A women’s revolution is also not limited to winning the rights to vote, divorce, inherit and have an abortion. These rights, attained around the world through women’s struggles, do not, sadly, lead to developments of the quality of a women’s revolution. Then there is the role female politicians from fascistic, fundamentalist or neoliberal parties play in the oppression of women… Neither the participation of women in the workforce for economic independence, nor the fulfillment of the demand for equal pay for equal work lead to developments of the quality of a women’s revolution. The neoliberal strategies of exploiting female employment and the female workforce have resulted in further impoverishment despite longer work hours. The “feminisation of poverty” is a consequence of such policies. The situation concerning legal equality, legal rights attained in the struggle against violence, and the international conventions expected to function as a solution agianst violence are equally gloomy. Examples of these are conventions that are cancelled overnight and laws that are suspended, and laws concerning rights that are not worth the paper they are written on.

With these experiences as a starting point, the revolutions of the 21st century are bound to repeat the errors and defeats of the previous two centuries as long as they do not take on the character of a women’s revolution. Perhaps this is the most significant education that may be derived from the Rojava Revolution. The Rojava Women’s Revolution offers a model for understanding what a women’s revolution is and how it may develop.

It can be said that the definition and objective of the women’s revolution is to turn women’s liberty to a culture and ethics. Women in Rojava act in accordance with the values of women’s liberty both at war and in the process of rebuilding. For this reason, the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) do not fight like an army of men, and the women do not return to their homes in disillusionment when the fighting is over.

However, it must not be concluded that this revolution has been completed or finished. As the revolution is about to reach its 10th anniversarywe must ensure that the women’s revolution has grown its roots deep in Kurdistan and Middle East. We must ensure that it is thriving; strong enough to resist attacks, in other words, firmly enough entrenched and in a position to establish universal ties. We still have a long and gruelling journey ahead to achieve this.

* Sakine Cansız, one of the co-founders of the Kurdistan Workers Pary (PKK), was imprisoned after the Turkish military coup in 1980, to be released in 1991. She went to Europe in the mid-1990s, and was granted political asylum by France in 1998. She was killed in Paris on 9 January 2013 along with two other female Kurdish politicians, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez, by an assailant believed to be working as an assassin for the Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MIT) and working undercover as a driver for Cansız.


Share post
Tags: Trending

Related Posts

Medya News Daily Review: 27 March 2023

Medya News Daily Review: 27 March 2023

March 27, 2023
Syrian Democratic Council demands global fact-finding committee be sent to Afrin

Syrian Democratic Council demands global fact-finding committee be sent to Afrin

March 27, 2023
Armenia, Turkey to open land border for third country citizens and diplomatic passport holders

Armenia, Turkey to open land border for third country citizens and diplomatic passport holders

March 27, 2023
Turkish police continue detaining pro-Kurdish party members ahead of elections

Turkish police continue detaining pro-Kurdish party members ahead of elections

March 27, 2023
United States announces commitment to keep troops in Syria

United States announces commitment to keep troops in Syria

March 27, 2023
US report highlights human rights violations in Iraq’s Kurdistan

US report highlights human rights violations in Iraq’s Kurdistan

March 27, 2023

Videos

Medya News Daily Review: 27 March 2023
Daily Review

Medya News Daily Review: 27 March 2023

March 27, 2023

All News

Medya News Daily Review: 27 March 2023

Syrian Democratic Council demands global fact-finding committee be sent to Afrin

Armenia, Turkey to open land border for third country citizens and diplomatic passport holders

Turkish police continue detaining pro-Kurdish party members ahead of elections

United States announces commitment to keep troops in Syria

US report highlights human rights violations in Iraq’s Kurdistan

Medya News

Impressum

About us

Privacy Policy

Subscribe
Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • World
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • Ecology
  • Economy
  • Culture & Art
  • Daily Review
  • Breaking News
  • Newsletter
  • Authors
  • Podcast

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Add New Playlist

Loading
Contact