YPJ Integration and the Future of Women's Rights in Syria

YPJ Integration and the Future of Women’s Rights in Syria

Drawing on a conversation with Women’s Defense Units (YPJ) commander Rohilat Afrin and spokeswoman Ruksen Mohamed, Meghan Bodette examines what happens to the all-women force founded in 2013 as northeast Syria’s institutions are folded into the new Syrian state. The YPJ wants around 2,000 of its fighters to join the army brigades formed for former SDF members, and wants the new constitution to guarantee women equal participation in all areas of public life, including security and defence.

According to Afrin, Damascus accepts women in internal security under the Interior Ministry but rejects them in military roles. A compromise backed by US partners would place the YPJ inside internal security. Bodette argues that this does not remove the risks of shutting women out of the military, pointing to the atrocities committed against Yazidi, Druze and Alawite women by armed groups that deny women’s rights. The YPJ leaders also cite UN Security Council Resolution 1325 as a precedent.

The piece closes with recommendations for international partners: monitor the integration process closely, press the government to admit women to all defence institutions, and provide technical support for legal frameworks that guarantee women’s equal participation.

Full article

Read the full article on the Kurdish Peace Institute

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