Feminist movements’endeavours’ in NE, Syria to eliminate violence against women

Throughout the year, women's movements and organizations in North and East Syria hold events that combat violence practiced by the patriarchal mentality against women and society, and hold workshops to bring about change in the reality of women in the region and empower them in all aspects of life. What are the most prominent actions of these organizations during the current year?

Kongra Star expanded its organizing mechanism during the current year (2023), as it intensified the opening of training courses for women and men, strengthening the role of women in the communes, opening a special academy to train men, and holding a series of awareness and educational lectures on ways to eliminate the prevailing masculine mentality in society, in the Jazira region, Euphrates region, al-Shahba and Aleppo, the number of which reached 2,957 lectures, according to what Kongra Star spokeswoman Rayhan Logo revealed to ANHA agency.

Kongra Star also opened in Qamishlo canton (20 training courses for 829 men), in al-Hasakah canton it opened (12 training courses for men), and in al-Shahba it opened two training courses for 60 women living in displacement camps, in addition to opening 55 training courses open to women and men in Cities and districts of North and East Syria.

While the number of marches and demonstrations reached 263 marches and demonstrations in the regions of Jazira, Euphrates, al-Shahba and Aleppo, the number of visits conducted by Kongra Star reached (168,033 visits), in addition to holding 1,151 meetings and making 32 statements.

Kongra Star spokeswoman Rayhan Logo said that the women's issue is a global issue, so they must communicate with all women in the world and struggle with free thought and one goal against all forms of violence against women, and struggle as one hand and join hands with each other against the occupation.

Rayhan Logo emphasized that Kongra Star struggles against the masculine mentality and the nation-state in particular, as they are the main causes of violence against women, based on the philosophy of “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî”, which developed with the development of women to build a free democratic society built on the basis of participatory life and free equal life.

Continuous work throughout the year

While the Sara Organization for Combating Violence against Women engages in a tireless struggle against the perpetrators of women’s murder and represents the voice of abused women, and in order to eliminate violence against women, the Sara Organization continues its activities throughout the year.

In this regard, Arzou Tammo, the administrator at the Sara Organization to Combat Violence against Women, revealed the organization’s work in the period between November 25, 2022, and November 25, 2023, during which the organization visited 1,894 homes.

In order to introduce the organization and its role in society and solve family problems, in addition to visiting women who were exposed to violence and some visits to women whose cases were resolved, as a result of these visits, 183 women joined the organization’s membership and worked voluntarily in all the organized activities.

A training session was also held on international humanitarian law, a dialogue session was organized on trauma and the effects of the earthquake, and a two-day training workshop was given on the concept of peace, in addition to giving 36 lectures, as part of the activities of the March 8 campaign (International Women’s Day) and under the slogan “Women are the pulse Life,” gave a series of lectures to students that included various topics.

The organization launched a campaign across all its offices in Syria to combat violence against women under the slogan “A woman’s strength lies in herself,” which included distributing 1,300 awareness-raising brochures about violence, pasting 650 “No to violence” posters, and hanging 5 banners at the entrances to cities in north-eastern Syria. A dialogue session was held.

In addition, 336 lectures were delivered, focusing on forms of violence against women, family law, special warfare, underage marriage, and the role of women in the family, in addition to 20 statements being made.

Workshops and lectures

In her turn, Suhair Sanouh, the administrator of the Syrian Women’s Council in Raqqa, revealed the work and activities that were accomplished throughout the year in villages, cities, and camps in al-Hasakah, Raqqa, Qamishlo, and throughout Syria, where the Council held a series of workshops on international and political violence, and combating violence against children, The occupation and its repercussions on women, and the targeting of women, in addition to holding artistic evenings on combating violence against women and lectures that included all types of violence and explaining its causes, including the spread of bad customs and traditions that justify violence against women.

Campaigns and meetings

For her part, the spokeswoman for the Zenobia Women’s Gathering Council in Manbij, Ruwaida Hanizal, revealed the work of the Zenobia Women’s Gathering Councils in Raqqa, Tabqa, Manbij and Deir ez-Zor during the current year, as the Zenobia Women’s Gathering Council in Manbij held 27 meetings.

In addition to launching an awareness campaign on August 1, 2023 under the slogan “Together we protect our society and achieve safety.” To limit the spread of drugs, it continued for two months.

In Tabqa, the Council held a series of meetings throughout the year targeting all societal groups of both genders to discuss the harms of drugs and work to find solutions. The number of meetings reached 43 and included 2,463 men and women.

As for the western countryside of Deir ez-Zor, the Zenobia Women’s Assembly Council held 113 meetings, targeting the most important issues and societal ills to which women in particular and society in general are exposed. It also launched a campaign against the marriage of minors and the killing of women from August 1 to October 1, in which meetings and lectures were held. In the city and the countryside.