The Women in the Frontlines
The Middle East is notoriously famous for the lack of rights for women. Forced arranged marriages, lack of education and brutality against women is common. The idea that a woman would participate in activities normally done by men is unthinkable. However, there is a small social change happening. An ethnic Iranian group in Syria, Turkey and Iraq, the Kurds have a established the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), a branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which is a Kurdish nationalist movement. They consist of entirely women. Their counterparts, the YPG is also part of the same branch.
The YPJ was established in 2012 as an all-women militia group extended from the YPG (People’s Protection Units). They have over 7,000 volunteer fighters and the age group ranges from 18 to 40 years old. Those under 18 are unable to fight in the front lines, however they can still join and receive training. The most surprising fact about them is that they are entirely self-sufficient and they only rely on the Kurdish community for supplies and help. Aside from their main mission, they are also promoters of feminism. Due to the traditional gender roles of women, they faced much disbelief and little support. Many of the women joined because they felt constrained by society’s expectations. Although feminism is not their main focus, they are definitely supporters of it as they want equality between women and men. There have been changes in the perceptions of women as some of the fighters say that the men back home see them as their equals. The amazing feats they have achieved were faced with much global support. They successfully defended Rojava from destruction. Also, in August 2014, they played a crucial role in rescuing the thousands of Yazidis that were trapped on Mount Sinjar because of ISIS. However, their most remarkable feat would probably be the liberation of Kobani. ISIS took control of Kobani and captured 350 Kurdish villages. The YPJ and YPG swiftly retaliated and a total of 3,710 ISIS fighters were dead by the end of the battle. Kobani became a symbol of strength and resistance of the Kurdish people. |
EDITOR :: SARAH JUNG DESIGN :: SEAN JS LEE Kobani after IS was driven out by Euphrates Volcano.
YPJ members take part in daily combat training at their base in Serikani, Syria.
The YPJ soldier who sacrificed herself at Kobani.
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