ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research is holding a forum in Erbil on Sunday for female academics, aiming to bolster women’s role in society. The event is named after the kazi (braid), which recently became a symbol of Kurdish resistance in Syria after a Syrian soldier cut the braid of a Kurdish female fighter.
The Kazi Forum for Women in Academia will focus on “the role of women in leading higher education institutions, their role in building competence and innovation, and their role in research and development,” Abbas Akram, spokesperson for the ministry, told Rudaw ahead of the event.
“This forum is not only for dialogue. At the end, all recommendations and proposals will be prepared and adopted as a basis for reforming the ministry’s public policies, with the aim of further strengthening women’s position and increasing their impact in academic and administrative institutions within higher education,” he added.
Disturbing footage that went viral last month during Syrian army’s attacks on Kurdish areas showed a Damascus-affiliated armed man boasting about cutting off the braid of a Kurdish female fighter after her death and parading it as a war trophy.
In response, Kurdish activists, female fighters, journalists, and supporters launched a social media campaign using the braid as a symbol of defiance and solidarity. Women shared photos of their braids and the hashtag associated with the campaign, emphasizing that the act intended to humiliate Kurdish women instead strengthened their resolve and highlighted their role in resistance and public life.
The Kazi Forum for Women in Academia will focus on “the role of women in leading higher education institutions, their role in building competence and innovation, and their role in research and development,” Abbas Akram, spokesperson for the ministry, told Rudaw ahead of the event.
“This forum is not only for dialogue. At the end, all recommendations and proposals will be prepared and adopted as a basis for reforming the ministry’s public policies, with the aim of further strengthening women’s position and increasing their impact in academic and administrative institutions within higher education,” he added.
Disturbing footage that went viral last month during Syrian army’s attacks on Kurdish areas showed a Damascus-affiliated armed man boasting about cutting off the braid of a Kurdish female fighter after her death and parading it as a war trophy.
In response, Kurdish activists, female fighters, journalists, and supporters launched a social media campaign using the braid as a symbol of defiance and solidarity. Women shared photos of their braids and the hashtag associated with the campaign, emphasizing that the act intended to humiliate Kurdish women instead strengthened their resolve and highlighted their role in resistance and public life.
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