Sulaymaniyah- The Democratic Women's Alliance in the Middle East and North Africa (NADA) kicked off its first congress in the city of Sulaymaniyah, Southern Kurdistan, on Thursday with the participation of about 200 women from 18 countries in the MENA region.

On the second day of the congress, four workshops were held to discuss the challenges, obstacles and opportunities of the joint women's struggle, the role of NGOs in the women’s struggle and the Importance of women’s alliances against misogynist and patriarchal alliances and neoliberalism.

“We discussed how women can carry out their regional and international activities,” said Dr Hiba Haddadin, General Director of the Foundation for Gender Studies and Consultations, Jordan. “We need more such congresses and discussions. At the workshops, we also pointed to the importance of self-defense for women and we discussed how we can fight crimes committed against women.”

‘Women’s political participation must be empowered’

“Women in every region face different problems but our cooperation with each other is important,” said Hanan Osman. “At the workshops, we discussed what we could do for women in Gaza, Iran and Yemen. As women, we must take a stance against the death penalty in Iran. In the MENA region, women’s participation in politics and decision-making positions must be empowered.”

“At the workshops, we drew attention to the importance of women's unity against neoliberalism,” said Dr. Abir Hassaf. “Neoliberalism is the new face of capitalism, trying to enslave women.”