In the war in Northern and Eastern Syria, the Turkish state continues to commit brutal crimes against women. According to the data of the Afrin Human Rights Organization, the fate of 400 women abducted in Afrin from January 20, 2018, when the invasion attacks started, until June 2020 is still unknown. According to the data, 63 women were killed and more than 215 were injured.

The Cizire Region Human Rights Organization also reported that 23 women have been murdered since the invasion attacks on Girê Spî and Serêkaniyê, 2 women have been subjected to sexual assault, and the fate of 12 abducted women is unknown. According to the data of the organization, 60 women were injured in the invasion attacks.

Speaking about the increasing crimes against women, politicians and lawyers said that international coordination is needed to protect women from the brutality of the Turkish state.

Siham Emoka, member of the North and East Syrian Women's Council Coordination, said that the crimes committed against women are not new and reminded that the Turkish state has attacked women since the Ottoman Empire.

Drawing attention to the crimes committed against women in the occupied areas, Siham said, “Women who started to be active in the political arena before the occupation are now exposed to attacks. The Turkish state and its gangs are violating international law in Afrin, al-Bab, Jarablus, Azaz, Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî. Mountains, stones and even trees were affected by the attacks on Northern and Eastern Syria. They destroyed historical places. The Turkish state continues to change the demographic structure of the region”.

Stating that women constitute half of the politics scene with the Autonomous Administration project, Siham added, “Thanks to the co-presidency system, women have taken their place in politics. Targeting the politicians, the Turkish state murdered Hevrin Xelef. The purpose of this was to distance women from politics.”

Siham pointed out that women's organizations in Northern and Eastern Syria are calling for solidarity from women's organizations around the world. “Every segment is urged to put an end to the Turkish state's attacks on women. Syrian women continue their organized struggle against the Turkish state. Institutions documenting crimes against women continue to submit these documents to international institutions,” she added.

Democratic Union Party (PYD) General Assembly Member Erîfa Bekir pointed out that the Rojava Revolution is a women's revolution and said, “Thousands of women were martyred for the success of the Rojava Revolution. Martyr Hevrîn Xelef, Mother Aqide and Zehra Berkel were women pioneers who were martyred. Crimes against women continue in Serêkaniyê, Afrin and Girê Spî in an attempt to break the will of women.”

Erifa stated that she is in contact with her relatives in Afrin and she has direct information about the situation there. She continued, “In Afrin, women are exposed to violence every day. The people of Afrin are forced to migrate. Girls are forced into marriage. All these crimes are committed before the eyes of the world. These crimes are shameful for humanity. Nobody with a conscience should turn a blind eye to this situation. Thousands of women were displaced by force. They live in difficult conditions in the camps."

Appealing to women from all over the world, Erifa called for a joint struggle to protect women from the violence of the Turkish state.

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