Women's revolution in Rojava - Confederal women's system in North and East Syria More than 11 years ago, a revolution began in Rojava (North and East Syria) in which women were not only represented on all fronts, but also played a leading role. Based on the experiences and struggles of the Kurdish women's movement in the region, Kongra Star was a leading force in the revolution and laid the foundations for the establishment of a confederal democratic system. Kongra Star is a confederal and democratic women's organization. It's focus is organizing, educating, and empowering women and struggling for women's liberation and gender equality in all spheres of life. Since its inception, there have been many achievements for women, from the co-chair system, gender quota and women's rights enshrined in law to the establishment of autonomous multi-ethnic women's structures, organizations and institutions. In the workshop we would like to focus on the confederal women's structures and their achievements and ask the question: What significance do these experiences have for international women's struggles and how can we build a world women's confederalism together?

Stop the Turkish state terror and defend the women's revolution

In December 2023, in the shadow of the Christmas holidays, Turkey has intensified its attacks on North and East Syria. Those attacks continued in january 2024. This is a violation of international law. The fascist Turkish state has been using the public distraction of Christmas & the war in Gaza to commit war crimes in North and East Syria.

Those attacks are part of the Turkish state's strategy to punish the Kurdish people as well as all the people of North and East Syria for choosing the path of self-government and autonomy and for starting a women's revolution in the region. This is a project which stands in the way of its dream of realizing a neo-Ottoman empire.

The entire border region is under attack by drones, warplanes and artillery, mainly concentrated in Qamishlo, Hesekê and Kobane. Turkey's intensified attacks constitute war crimes, as they specifically target civilian infrastructure, civilian facilities and production sites in populated areas. Dozen of civilians have been killed and injured in the intensified and ongoing attacks over the last period, while millions have been let without electricity. The aim of theattacks is to make daily life impossible, create instability in the region, revive ISIS, intimidate people in the region and force them to flee.

Turkey's targets, which have been bombed by warplanes and drones for days, show that it’s goal cannot be self-defense, but to make life impossible for the population. Health facilities such as the hospital in Kobanê, the dialysis Center and an oxygen production facility for hospitals in Qamishlo have been bombed. The Alaya prison, where ISIS prisoners are held, was bombed as part of the attacks to create insecurity and encourage ISIS prisoners to break out. Several power generation plants, grain silos, olive oil production plants, wedding halls, a printing house, food production plants, internal security checkpoints, civilian houses and other places were bombed. We must take a stand against this Turkish state terror.

As Kongra-Star, the women’s movement active in the region, we strongly condemn the current threat of war and the attacks that have followed it. We women in North and East Syria know the importance of the women’s revolution and its achievements, and we will not give up. The women’s revolution opens an alternative path for women of all communities in the region. It gives hope and encourages all women to struggle for freedom and peace in the Middle East and worldwide to resist a patriarchal system of domination based on war, exploitation and oppression – we have to defend this hope together!

As Kongra Star Women's Movement, we therefore call on the democratic public, women's organizations, human rights groups and especially women's rights activists worldwide to show solidarity with the women's revolution in North and East Syria, to campaign publicly and politically to stop the brutal attacks, demand accountability for the war crimes committed by Turkey and support our call for a no-fly zone over North and East Syria to prevent future waves of attacks.

Kongra-Star

Women revolution in North and East Syria (Rojava)