RONÎDA HACÎ

 Hesekê (Hasakah)- A two-day “Dialogue Workshop” was held in Hasakah, a city in the Jazira canton of North and East Syria with the motto, “With women’s solidarity, we will build a democratic Syria,” and with the participation of representatives of women’s organizations, political parties and activists.

At the workshop, women discussed the successes and gains achieved by women for 13 years thanks to the revolution led by women in northeastern Syria and expressed their concerns about Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist armed group taking control of Damascus following the fall of the Assad regime.

‘Self-defense is indispensable’

“Women’s struggle and resistance against the ongoing attacks on North and East Syria continues,” said Destîna Haleb, member of the Women's Defense Units (YPJ) Military Council, who participated in the workshop. “Women use their self-defense to build a free life and protect themselves because women are subjected to all forms of violence in society. Self-defense is indispensable for women to defend their lands and protect themselves.”

 ‘Women proved themselves in military’

Destîna Haleb pointed to the historical resistance exhibited by the YPJ and said, “During the revolution in Rojava, women proved themselves in the military. The YPJ has fought ISIS and other armed groups. No one can ignore the heroism of the YPJ, because the struggle and sacrifice of the YPJ has echoed all over the world. The YPJ does not fight against individuals but the patriarchal mindset that aims to enslave women. We know that the recent attacks are against women.”

‘A system without women’s representation is doomed to collapse’

Destîna Haleb called on all women in Syria to be in solidarity with each other. “Thanks to the role played by women, we have a strong military force. The occupying Turkish state has recently intensified its attacks on North and East Syria. The YPJ has resisted the attacks for 29 days. In recent days, the Syrian Defense Minister has made statements saying that women should not be allowed to serve in the military. We criticize such statements because such statements are attacks on women’s gains. The message of the workshop is: A system without women’s representation is doomed to collapse. Women’s representation guarantees success everywhere. The co-presidential system guarantees women’s representation.”