QANDIL, Kurdistan, 2013: Two female PJAK guerrillas walking trough the Qandil mountain
Throughout history Kurdish women peshmerga have been fighting shoulder to shoulder with men to gain their rights as Kurds and as women. Today we see them in the front line fight against ISIS. As women they are more aware of the threat of such groups for women and believe if they want to have more right in a free society they need to be next to men from the very beginning to prove that they are also aware of the threat and can be count on for fighting for such cause.
What drew me to this subject two years ago was the role of women within the Kurdish military forces and guerrilla factions. Their battle, I believe, is harder than that of their male counterparts, as they are not only fighting for their basic rights as Kurds, but also as women, in societies that are heavily male-dominated. I wanted to know more about the part women played in progressive political parties like the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, The Komala Party or the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (known as PJAK). I also wanted to see what motivated them, what pushed these women to leave their homes and join often remote and dangerous units. What were their hopes and what were the difficulties they had had to overcome – not just politically but also personally and culturally. Early age marriage; domestic violence; female circumcision; and access to education were some of the common problems they refereed to and hoped to be able to solve these by being part of the solution in such societies.
Kurdistan-Sulaymaniyah- July 2014:
Kurdish female peshmergas of the 2nd Battalion during their daily military training. The 2nd Battalion comprises exclusively of 550 female peshmergas and is the only official female branch of the Kurdish National Army. This battalion is responsible for defending Kurdistan against ISIS, alongside male battalions.
Kurdistan- Sulaymaniyah-2012: Inside the Iranian Communist party of Komala’s camp in the Sulaymaniyah province, a group of men and women peshmerga who have recently finished their military training are testing their guns.
Kurdistan- Sulaymaniyah-2012: Kurdish peshmergas learning to use gun inside the military training camp of Komala party of Iranian Kurdistan.
QANDIL, Kurdistan, 2013: Portrait of a female PJAK guerrilla inside the Qandil mountains
QANDIL, Kurdistan, 2013: A group of female PJAK guerrillas walk through the river to pass from one side of the Qandil mountains to another
Kurdistan- Sulaymaniyah-2013: A group of Kurdish Peshmergas from the Komala party of Iranian Kurdistan dancing togehter. Small occasions like this remind them of their rich culture and gives them the strength to carry on their daily routine as Peshmerga.
QANDIL, Kurdistan, 2013: Female PJAK guerrillas during a meeting with thier male comm in the Qandil mountains.
Kurdistan-Sulaymaniyah- July 2014:
Kurdish female peshmergas of the 2nd Battalion during their daily military training. The 2nd Battalion comprises exclusively of 550 female peshmergas and is the only official female branch of the Kurdish National Army. This battalion is responsible for defending Kurdistan against ISIS, alongside male battalions.
Kurdistan- Sulaymaniyah-2012: Inside the military training camp of Komala party of Iranian Kurdistan, Parisa, a 22 years old woman Kurdish peshmerga rest after a long day of training.
QANDIL, Kurdistan, 2013: A female PJAK guerrilla reading inside her tent.
QANDIL, Kurdistan, 2012. Zilan, a female PJAK guerrilla binding her hairs before strating her daily routines inside the camp.
Maryam Ashrafi is a freelance photojournalist based in Paris. she was born in 1982 and after receiving her BA in Social documentary photography from… More »
