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| ==== Problem Solving Committees ==== | ==== Problem Solving Committees ==== | ||
| The problem solving committees are responsible for mediation of conflicts within the communes, whether they are neighborly or familial. Within the women’s communes, the problem solving committees work closely with the House of Women, an institute that can be found in every town, which engages itself in “advanced conflict solution and juridical assistance to women in all types of conflict, including domestic violence.”<ref name=":0" /> |
The problem solving committees are responsible for mediation of conflicts within the communes, whether they are neighborly or familial. Within the women’s communes, the problem solving committees work closely with the House of Women, an institute that can be found in every town, which engages itself in “advanced conflict solution and juridical assistance to women in all types of conflict, including domestic violence.”<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Kongreya Star, About the work and ideas of Kongreya Star, the Women’s Movement in Rojava.|url=https://undercoverinfo.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/k-star.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
| ==== Self Defense Committees ==== | ==== Self Defense Committees ==== | ||
Revision as of 22:50, 14 November 2021
Confederation of women’s organizations in Rojava, Syria
Kongreya Star (Kurdish for Star Congress), founded in 2005 under the name of Yekîtiya Star (Kurdish for Star Union of Women), is a confederation of women’s organizations in Rojava, Syria. They have been instrumental in the significant advances made in gender relations in the region. Its work is based on the claim that "without the liberation of women, a truly free society is impossible." One of its founding members is Îlham Ehmed, former Co-Chair of the Syrian Democratic Council
Kongreya Star administers women's communes which focus on development of economic aims and an embitterment of the personal self-awareness of women. It is working throughout the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and aims to be the example for the Middle East in respect of women’s rights.
Academies
Yekîtiya Star has established several academies, of which Yekîtiya Star Academy was founded in 2012 and provides instruction through the framework of Jineolojî (Kurdish for "women's science"), a term coined by Abdullah Ocalan. The Academy offers an introduction to Jineolojî, an exploration of the economy from a feminist lens in which women are seen as central actors in the economy, civics as practiced in Rojava as well as other subjects.
The student body ranges significantly, from college educated young adults to the illiterate elderly. The pedagogy of the school emphasizes the personal authority of each student and encourages a more interactive relationship between teacher and student, similar to the teaching philosophies of John Dewey and Paulo Freire. In attendance, there are often commune and assembly representatives, as well as administrators of Kongreya Star, who are taught courses based on the group’s desires.
Each program culminates in a final session called a "platform." A platform is an opportunity for a student to announce how they will participate in the Rojava Revolution.
Examples of courses, which typically last anyway from twenty-five days to two-and-a-half months, are as follows:
- History of the Middle East
- History of Kurdistan
- Women’s History
- Jineology
- Economy
- Law and Justice
- Diplomacy
- Gender-Equality
- Philosophy
- Philosophy of Abdullah Öcalan
- Sexism within Society
- Equality in Relationships
- Regimes of Truth
- Concepts and Analysis
Kongreya Star also provides classes within existing schools on the topics of gender equality, societal sexism, women’s history, women’s liberation, and Jineology.
Communes
Neighborhoods and towns in Rojava are organized in communes of seven to two hundred people; previously, these communes made up the cantons of Afrîn, Kobanê, and Cizîre. These communes are organized in two networks: those run by Tev-Dem, which are made up of men and women, and women’s communes, which are the basis of Kongreya Star.
Within the women’s communes, women are encouraged to share their opinions and be active members of society, often for the first time in their lives. Women have a high participation rate in the communes, with the average ranging from 50-70%, with some reaching 100%.
Committees
There are five different types of committees present in every commune.
Education Committees
One of Kongreya Star's main objectives is overseeing the education committees within the women's communes. The education committee is burdened with providing practical and ideological training to all commune members. While they have empirical courses, such as language classes, their main focuses is teaching the ideals of democratic confederalism.
Health Committees
The health committee within the communes are responsible for coordinating between the regional health services and the communes themselves. The committee provides training on first-aid, natural medicine, and prenatal care. Recently, especially in the women’s communes, several women’s health care centers have been created.
Economy Committees
The economy committees are responsible for supporting the commune’s cooperatives, especially those that require using common agricultural lands.
Problem Solving Committees
The problem solving committees are responsible for mediation of conflicts within the communes, whether they are neighborly or familial. Within the women’s communes, the problem solving committees work closely with the House of Women, an institute that can be found in every town, which engages itself in “advanced conflict solution and juridical assistance to women in all types of conflict, including domestic violence.”
Self Defense Committees
The self defense committees are organized at the commune level by the People’s Protection Units (HPC). These committees consist of both men and women who have received specialized training in defense. They coordinate with local security forces and are responsible for neighborhood security at times of conflict.
Education
The education committees under the control of Kongreya Star have the responsibility of overseeing the instruction of the women in the communes, as well as the Star Academy. The education committees have three main goals: “furthering the education of women, spreading awareness of women’s topics in society at large and transforming existing structures of education.” An overarching theme that dominates the education committees is the initiative of “mak women wise again, in order to shed the attitudes towards men and women that serve patriarchy.” Kongreya Star believes that when women are given a proper education, not only will they be able to begin to dismantle power structures in which men dominate, but also play a more active role in society. As Kongreya Star believes “emancipation can only occur when one knows oneself and one’s history,” having an accurate education that focuses on understanding the past and cultural conflicts is essential for the further liberation of women.
Education Principles
The educational goals of Kongreya Star are centered around understanding and dismantling current structures and institutions of power. In the classes, there is an emphasis on teaching how these systems of dominance came to be and how societies before them, especially during the Neolithic, Mesolithic and Paleolithic eras, were configured. Kongreya Star believes that “societies which existed before patriarchal and hierarchical systems became predominant were centered on women.” The movement not only aims to include women in the traditional framework of knowledge, but also to reexamine and reshape these frameworks, questioning their place in society and disassembling powerful ideologies. For example, they often look at alternative ways of understanding language development, such as focusing on the importance of oral history and the effects of women singing and talking to their children from birth.
In the courses, participants are encouraged to follow their natural curiosity. They emphasize the principle that freedom and education are both part of collective processes, not individual ones. The classes themselves are discussion-based, and instructors support self-reflection. Another important aim of Kongreya Star education is the re-education of men and the unlearning of the patriarchy. Both men and women must understand that as women take on a larger role in society, men’s roles will have to change in order to accommodate this transformation. Furthermore, they preach education as a method of self-defense. According to Kongreya Star, those who know their culture’s history, politics, language, etc. are better equipped to defend themselves against dominance and use their education as a weapon against capitalism.
Publications
Kongreya Star also publishes Asoya Jinê, a women's magazine covering "a variety of topics including political and social affairs, interviews with women, and a space devoted to women guerrillas who have fallen in the struggle. There is also Kuncika Malame: a forum for readers and followers to share feelings, poems, memories and stories, as well as a space for mothers to discuss handicrafts."
Other Activities
Other projects and activities are organized by the organization, including the opening of a park in honor of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan's birthday, campaigns and demonstrations against honor killings and the creation of safe houses for victims of domestic violence.
References
- ^ "The Women Leading a Social Revolution in Syria's Rojava". Newsweek. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
- "Interview with Ilham Ahmad Co-chair of Syria Democratic Council (MSD)". February 14, 2017.
- "Rojava: the women who wove a revolution - 1". JINHA. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
- Biehl, Janet. "Revolutionary Education - Two Academies in Rojava". Ecology or Catastrophe. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
- ^ The Committee of Diplomacy of Kongreya Star. Kongreya Star. The Committee Of Diplomacy Of Kongreya Star, 2016, pp. 2-32, https://undercoverinfo.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/k-star.pdf. Accessed 13 Nov 2021.
- "Kongreya Star, About the work and ideas of Kongreya Star, the Women's Movement in Rojava" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "A new women's magazine launched in Rojava: Asoya Jinê". JINHA. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- "Rojava: the women who wove a revolution". JINHA. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- "Women open a park for in memory of Öcalan's birthday". Hawar News Agency. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
- "Yekîtiya Star staged demo against honor crimes". Kurdish Info. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
External links
- The Committee of Diplomacy of Kongreya Star: "About the work and ideas of Kongreya Star, the Women’s Movement in Rojava", August 2016
- Website of the Star Congress