NEW YORK — Nubohar Mustafa is proud of what her leaders and fellow activists have done for Kurdish women in northern Syria. Coming from the self-proclaimed autonomous region of Rojava, wedged between the Turkish border and territory held by Daesh (the so-called IS), Mustafa enjoys freedoms that few women living under the militants' rule could dream of. Polygamy is no longer tolerated, underage marriage is outlawed and violence against women addressed with strict legislation in Rojava, which has been governed by a Kurdish party since Syrian state forces withdrew from most of the area in 2012 — a year after civil war erupted across Syria. Rojava's constitution, or "social contract", governing its some 4 million people enshrines women's rights and urges public institutions to work toward ending gender discrimination. "While we try to empower women, a few kilometers away Daesh are trying to do the opposite. We are fighting them on behalf of all the women in the world," said Mustafa, a female politician and union leader in Rojava. "Women have active participation at all political and military levels," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Rojava's women fighters, also known as YPJ, make up 40 percent of the region's militia force and have won praise for their prowess when battling Daesh, including the liberation of Yazidi families under siege near Sinjar in northern Iraq in 2014. The internal police, or Asayish, has a women-only unit that deals also with sexual assault and rape. Each city in Rojava has a co-presidency that must be filled by a woman, and at least 50 percent of political offices are held by females. Academies and foundations to further women's rights and as many as 27 centers to help women facing domestic violence or financial hardship have opened in Kurdish Syria since 2014. "It's a revolution within a revolution," said Mustafa. The plains of Rojava stretch out to the horizon in all directions, with few trees and little agriculture since the war began. Abandoned oil pumps dot the landscape, left to rust since foreign oil workers fled Syria. In its small towns, food vendors ply their wares from stalls, mechanics work on cars and children walk to class. The Kurdish-held town of Kobani is just 140 km (85 miles) from Daesh stronghold of Raqqa where women must wear a full face veil in public or face punishment, often at the hands of the all-female Al-Khansaa Brigade whose mission is to pursue and arrest women who break the group's strict rules on morality. Devastated by a ferocious battle against Daesh forces last year that captured international headlines, Kobani residents have started to rebuild ruined homes. Here, strict legislation to combat violence against women has been implemented as well as measures to challenge patriarchal attitudes, said Idris Nassan, a leading politician in the city. Before being sent to jail, violent men are first excluded from any political and social activity in their village. "Not being able to participate in events or discussions is a stigma and for our society it is a big deal. jail is the last resort," he said.
