exposing her to beatings, insults, and arrests for the most trivial of reasons, as it occurred and continues to occur through protests, gatherings and sit-ins organized by Kurds. Kurdish women participate in them, particularly since the beginning of the Syrian revolution. Whereas from a social, educational and health perspective, Kurdish women as a minority group suffer from many impediments rendering them inactive in society. Hence the majority of Kurds dwelling in villages and rural areas, do not find schools in them except for primary schools, and schools are often unprepared in terms of health. So if young girls want to complete their studies they have move to the city where they are required to overcome many obstacles, which prevent them from completing their studies most of the time, not to mention society's lack of acceptance of it. This, in addition to the non-provision of health services in regions where Kurds reside, meaning that no dispensaries or medically-equipped clinics are to be found to ensure that necessary care is not given to Kurdish women in cases of birth. Thus giving birth, for Kurdish women, is still done in a primitive way which is what frequently causes health problems for mother and child; and in other cases, transportation challenges often result in the patient's death because of not having access to help when needed. We might say, that what governs Kurdish women is a set of social customs; and here is where the state's role comes in, which is supposed to issue laws that make men and women equal so that society may interact with women eliminating such customs. The government's greatest sin is in not raising awareness in society, especially in rural areas where there is a large awareness gap of women's rights, between the city centres and needy rural areas. Finally, I would like to say that women's rights cannot be separated from the fundamental rights of the people, which is the freedom to express one's own opinions, live with dignity, social justice and equality, recognizing minority rights and eliminating tyranny. We hope that this will be achieved soon, with the spring of revolutions we are living in. Thank you very much for listening. Fawzi Dilber The Kurdish Centre for Legal Studies & Consultancy (YASA e.V.)