​​​​​​​How do we build a society free of domestic violence?

conjunction with the 25 November of each year, the International Day against Violence against Women, our agency polled opinion women's figures on women's issues and women's issues on the legal and societal side in north and east Syria.

Repercussions of domestic violence

Defining the forms and causes of violence, repercussions and consequences, and how to build a society free from domestic violence, the Head of the Women's Body of Jazira region, Zainab Sarokhan, said that outdated customs and traditions had led to a greater incidence of domestic violence among society and its practice against women.

The capitalist system had formulated laws based on a purely masculine mindset, which exacerbated violence in society and, in its perspective, customs and traditions were a set of guidelines for a society and, over time, turned into laws that bragged about societies, whether positive or negative.

 "Wrong customs and traditions are a form of violence"

Zainab compares the maternal and capitalist systems to the success of the former in that period of time: "The natural maternal system called for gender equality, the participatory life between them did not create societal problems, and with the emergence of the hierarchy of power and its climbing ranks upward, societal problems increased with it, as women were subjected to violence and their system was eliminated in the beginning, and then society was subjected to violence in the second degree.

The Administrator of the Women's Body, Zainab Sarokhan, noted the difficulty of resolving the phenomenon of violence in a short period of time, stating that it was a deep-rooted issue in society, which was due to outdated customs and traditions that must be overcome at the outset, thus dissolving the country's regime, so that the phenomenon or problem could be resolved.

The Women's Body aims to combat all forms of violence against women, safeguard their rights, achieve social justice and contribute to the advancement of women's role in politics, as well as to support and encourage women economically through the development of associations and projects.

In addition, the Women's Body has focused on the promulgation of special protection laws for women, including the fight against masculinity in all its forms, equality between men and women in all spheres of life, and their right to nominate for election. During the past years, numerous centres for women and kindergartens have been opened in all cities and parts of Jazira region.

What's domestic violence?

The Women's Council of the Syrian Future Party, in a dialogue seminar, identified the forms of violence as the International Day against Violence against Women approaches, such as physical violence, which is one of the most visible forms of violence, and includes the exercise of physical force against women and their accompanying psychological effects, including weakening women's self-confidence, reducing their abilities and potential and threatening them, as well as verbal violence, which is one of the most affecting women's mental health.

"We follow the situation of women through organizations and events organized in north and east Syria, where we seek to represent their voices in order to identify their problems and try to find solutions to all problems," says Stir Kassem, member of the Women's Council of North and East Syria on civil society organizations.

 "Information obtained by women's organizations working in north and east Syria reveals large numbers of women who have been subjected to domestic violence, but remain silent," she adds, referring to the preparation of a programme of events and activities through a special committee comprising a large number of women's organizations in north and east Syria.

The programme includes awareness-raising activities on violence against women and attempts to induce them to break their silence. It also organizes events in the camps for women who have been subjected to double violence by the Turkish occupation and have been displaced from their homes, as well as in the camps of displacement.

As an example of herself not being subjected to violence for her political work, Stir Kassem explains, "The fact that I have not experienced violence, my family has encouraged me to work in the political sphere, believing in the role of women in building a society in which women and men are equal."

In Stir 's words, she had chosen the way to fight the cause of women, despite her difficulty: "I have chosen this path to the lofty goal of the cause of women, their freedom, dignity and rights."

Why does a man resort to violence?

Violence is the product of ancient societal heredity, and its use has been reinforced by the abuse of power that has divided society, linking difficult jobs with men, and characterizing women as weak, thus enabling greater violence against women.

About that, Stir Kassem says: "In the education curricula of the Damascus Government, women have always had domestic chores, and men have tasks outside the home," calling for a change in the stereotype in society, through awareness-raising and the enactment of laws.

To build a society free of violence, the family must be initiated in terms of gender equality and non-discrimination, and educational curricula must be developed to break down the political, economic and diplomatic stereotypes of women over management and employment. This gives continuity and impetus through the enactment of laws to criminalize all forms of violence against women, polygamy and the marriage of minors.

Some male perpetrators of violence are also based on religion, as a result of distorted approaches to the interpretation of the verses of the Holy Koran, while the correct teachings of religion must be disseminated, so as to be a factor in society's lead towards a democratic moral society in which women are able to play their part without exclusion or marginalization.

Women are a free entity"

Legally, the legal adviser of the SARA Organization against Violence against Women in Qamishlo, Nada Malki, said, "To build a society free from violence, the family being the fundamental building block of society, the parents must be made aware, and the father must first be rid of the authoritarian masculine mind and be made aware of the existence of a free woman, who has the right to education, health and work."

While the mother should be alerted to the dangers of a weak personality, and her inability to respond in a timely manner, making her vulnerable to violence and persecution, the patriarchal and authoritarian mindset cultivated by customs and traditions must be overcome.

For a society free of violence, the family must be developed

Nada Malki stressed that in order to build a society free of violence, the family must be developed, so that we have built a society of morality, "stressing that the power of the law is not a real deterrent and can be eliminated, and that laws are not discarded once and for all, but formulated in accordance with ethical regulations.

The administrator of the Social Committee at the Kongra Star in Qamishlo, Mazkin Hamo, and the legal adviser Nada Malki, agreed that the family was the main foundation of society, "so it must be built properly to create a society free of violence and based on equality, safeguarding the rights of the genders."
The principle of mutual discussion between the family and the adoption of the language of dialogue was put forward by Mazkin, in a move that would eliminate masculine mentality, while accepting the other view, through awareness-raising campaigns, cultural lectures and free time for the child.

Two sides limit women's participation"

For her part, the spokeswoman for the Syrian Women's Council, Lina Barakat, referred to violations committed against women in areas under the control of the Damascus Government and in areas occupied by Turkey, noting "There is no legal environment that protects women. They cannot resort to the courts to protect themselves from violence. There are discriminatory articles regarding areas of the Damascus Government, which prevent them from exercising their rights. What made matters worse was the presence of mercenaries of the Turkish occupation, who had ideas that were hostile to women's freedom.

Lina Barakat stressed that the mercenaries of the Turkish occupation do not possess the lowest standards of morality. The occupied regions are experiencing almost daily rape and abduction.

She added: "The failure of the Turkish occupation to allow humanitarian organizations to monitor such violations, to obtain accurate statistics of such crimes, and mercenaries endanger the lives of humanitarian workers in organizations, prevents them from being detected and raised as official documents of international organizations to hold the perpetrators of such crimes accountable."

According to Lina Barakat, in order to protect Syrian women, the Syrian Women's Council must, for example, be a functioning women's institution throughout Syrian geography, carrying out the defence of abused women, obtaining their rights or demanding changes and amendments to laws, eliminating discrimination in laws and applying international treaties and agreements that preserve and safeguard the dignity of women.

T/S

ANHA