International Women’s Day | Syrian women bravely stand up against horror of war ignored by the world

 

 

Around the world, women are celebrating International Women’s Day to highlight their struggle and achievements to consolidate women’s rights and open new fields for women’s self-affirmation in the society, while in Syria, women are suffering from tragic political, social and living conditions. However, Syrian women did not despair, and the harsh conditions made them stronger, boost their willpower and motivated them to address problems and difficulties and promoted their persistence to improve their situation and maintain their families.

Although Syrian women are the most affected by the repercussions of the horrific ongoing war, Syrian feminist movements have challenged devastating effects of war, stood against all abuses and violations wrought on women and called for the enactment and implementation of domestic laws to protect women and guarantee their rights. However, the bitter reality is that laws failed in protecting women and addressing violent crimes, arrests, rape, exploitation and killing of women.

The Syrian Observatory has documented the arrest of 155,002 women by regime security services since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in March 2011.

According to SOHR statistics, 41,312 women are still detained in regime prisons, and 20,315 other women are forcibly disappeared. These statistics verify and prove the blatant violation of international humanitarian law, international conventions and treaties by Syrian regime. Ironically, the Syrian regime itself signed these treaties.

Since the beginning of 2021, SOHR has documented the death of 193 women over the age of 18 in acts of violence across Syria.

The Syrian Observatory, as a human rights organisation, expresses its deep concern over the ongoing violence against women who are targeted, arrested and pressured for political purposes.
SOHR calls for the implementation of laws protecting women’s rights and stresses the importance of concerted and exerting efforts to improve the situation of Syrian women in harsh conditions and the protracted war.

For 11 years of woes of war, Syrian women have proved that they have not been passive and stood up against unfair laws and have sought “Women’s empowerment” and fought for a better future.

In an interview with SOHR, political activist Moufida Al-Khatib describes the situation of Syrian women as “extremely bad,”, as women pay an exorbitant price of war at all levels. Since the start of the revolution, many women have been arbitrary arrested, became victims of physical and psychological abuses, and women in politics were under-represented and their role has been marginalised, as well as many others have been displaced and lost their husbands, brothers, sons and fathers. Women have endured all of these plights in a conservative and traditional environment that is became more complicated and compounded by war.

Al-Khatib has pointed out that many women have put their lives at risk to reach a safe country for claiming asylum. In these new and different communities, women have struggled to face the difficulties in integrating and adapting to a new lifestyle and new values.

Moufida Al-Khatib recalls marginalisation of women and the social exclusion and inequality in the socity’s perception of women and their social role. she also adds that the idea of “women’s empowerment” in Syria is so far from real, not implemented, it is just a theory.

The political activist, Moufida Al-Khatib considered that the failure of the Syrian revolution has thwarted the progress of women and deprived them of their rights and has also aided in the emergence of traditional and reactionary intellectual currents that had adopted social retrograde and “obsolete” ideas that Syria was thought to have disposed of and surpassed.

Moufida Al-Khatib stresses the need to build a national state with modern legislation that preserves rights and duties and ensures the genuine social and economic empowerment of women. She also talks about some female role models who proved their excellence and merit.

Lastly, the empowerment of women today is a duty in order to make women contribute and play a vital role in the reconstruction of Syria’s present and future, starting from her role in the home, taking care of the family and upbringing of generations to the building of a balanced society

In an interview with SOHR the executive director of the “Syrian Feminist Lobby”, Rima Flayhan refers to the disastrous reality of Syrian distressed women who are in the crossfire of war, suffering poverty, homelessness, asylum and detention, as well as social and legal injustice and their lack of involvement in peacemaking or participation in laying the foundations for their future as well as social and economic inequality.

Flayhan stresses that all women’s organisations should coordinate and cooperate to change the systemic discrimination against women and repeal unfair laws and stand up against violations by all forces across Syria, including the Syrian regime forces. She also points to the importance of increasing women’s representation in political and social aspects, the delegations, the Constitutional Committee and the activation of UNSCR 1325.

The Syrian political researcher Dr Jamal Al-Shoufi, in an interview with SOHR, confirms that women are essential actors of society who must be protected, safeguarded and not attacked. The perception of women shall be far from gender stereotypes and perceptions of traditional cultural heritage, noting that women’s rights to work and full political participation must be recognised and the idea of a female being governed by emotion and captive to outdated traditions shall be fought.

we, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), call for holding accountable all criminals, perpetrators of violations and all those who aided and abated heinous crimes against Syrian people.

We count on the international community’s active involvement to save the people of Syria from killing, starvation, suffering and ongoing violations. We also count on the free and independent media all over the world to highlight the plight of the helpless Syrian people.

Also, SOHR appeals to all international actors to exert maximum pressure on the warring powers in Syria, which have been draining the Syrian people’s resources, to stop military actions and turn to a political settlement that could potentially put an end to this protracted war.