Civil Activist: women in Syria unprotected amid chaos and weak laws

Syrians, especially women, live under a reality dominated by violence and chaos, where women are subjected to increasing violations, including kidnapping, murder, and political and social marginalization. With the shifting balance of power in the country following the fall of the previous regime, women remain the most vulnerable in the cycle of conflict, in the absence of an independent judicial system and effective laws to guarantee their protection.

In this context, our agency (ANHA) conducted an interview with lawyer, civil activist, and Executive Director of the Peace Pathways team in Swedia, Shrouq Abu Zeidan, who provided an assessment of the performance of the Syrian transitional government and reviewed the current laws and their effectiveness in combating violence and discrimination against women. This interview coincided with the approach of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which falls on November 25th each year.

The interview transcript is as follows: Syrian regions are witnessing ongoing and escalating violence against women. How would you describe the general situation of women's rights in Syria today?

To begin, we cannot discuss women's rights in isolation from the rights of all people in Syria, especially given the ongoing violence, escalation, and numerous violations. However, based on the current situation, I believe we are still facing a decline in women's rights and freedoms. We have not made any progress in this area. Violations against women continue to be perpetrated directly and systematically. Numerous cases of kidnapping and murder of hundreds of women have been documented in both the coastal region and Swedia. This confirms that the human rights situation in general, and women's rights in particular, has not progressed in Syria, and it seems unlikely to do so if we continue with the same conflict and the violations perpetrated by the current government. We observe this through the meager representation of women in decision-making positions, which is almost nonexistent. In every committee, body, or formation, we might find one or two women, or they might be entirely absent. Women's representation in these positions has not reached a satisfactory level.

Based on your observations, do you see any change in the reality for women after the fall of the Ba'ath regime, or has the violence simply reproduced itself in new forms?

Nothing has changed in the cycle of violence; rather, it has manifested itself in new, diverse, and more brutal and egregious forms. Today, after the fall of the former regime, we are witnessing systematic violence, as I mentioned earlier, and grave violations of various values, rights, and conventions, especially regarding the genocide we witnessed against specific groups, and the kidnapping and assault of women during attacks by the General Security forces and the al-Julani militias on the coastal and Swedia regions. Women are being used as weapons of war, subjected to various forms of abuse and used as a tool to humiliate and degrade their communities.

What makes women the weakest link in the cycle of conflict, despite the change in the controlling powers?

Women are the weakest link as long as the legal and legislative system does not preserve and protect all rights, nor does it promote the principle of equality for all. This is because we govern in the name of religion and its banner, instead of governing according to international laws and the Charter of Human Rights. They are even being used as tools of pressure on communities and individuals.

How do you assess the performance of the transitional government regarding the documented crimes against women? Is it possible to speak of a genuine will for accountability?

We cannot evaluate performance that doesn't exist in the first place. The government continues to deny all its crimes and the crimes committed by its affiliated forces or other forces on Syrian soil, including crimes against women. Even its affiliated investigation committees issue reports denying all the systematic and blatant crimes committed against women. Therefore, I see no genuine will to hold perpetrators of violations and crimes accountable, because the government has not sought to do so to this day, and as I said, it denies all the crimes committed.

What is the impact of the absence of an independent judiciary on the escalation of crimes against women?

All regions are still experiencing legal and judicial chaos as a result of the fall of the regime and the takeover of the judiciary by (sheikhs) instead of the former judges. Consequently, this judiciary is biased towards one side and does not uphold equality and justice (if judicial procedures exist). Therefore, the absence of a functioning judiciary and law enforcement contributes to increased chaos, crime, and impunity for perpetrators, which encourages them to continue and repeat their actions.

Do you believe that Syrian laws, in their current form, are capable of protecting women from violence and discrimination?

The current laws cannot achieve this because they do not uphold gender equality and do not cover all forms of assault and crimes that can be committed against women. Furthermore, they have not been amended, and we have been working and advocating for their amendment for many years. Therefore, these laws do not comply with international human rights law, nor do they incorporate international treaties and Security Council resolutions related to women, peace, and security into their provisions. They cannot protect women from discrimination and violence.

ANHA