SDC official: Excluding women will bring Syria back to violence

Shirra Ossi, member of the Presidential Office of the Syrian Democratic Council and co-chair of the Media Office, spoke to ANHA Agency about the participation of Syrian women in shaping the political process, the serious attempts to exclude them, and their struggle to reclaim their rights and resist anyone who stands in their way.

Ossi explained that Syrian women are currently facing efforts to remove them from the process of rebuilding the future, despite the major sacrifices they made during the revolution and within the Autonomous Administration project in North and East Syria.

She noted that Syria is now going through a historic and sensitive turning point, especially after the fall of the Baath regime, emphasizing that the current moment is an opportunity to rebuild a new future in which women participate genuinely and effectively.

A Heavy Legacy of Discrimination and Political Violence

She continued: “For years under the previous regime, Syrian women suffered from the absence of a constitution that protected their rights and from personal status laws that were the clearest evidence of women’s oppression, in addition to harsh customs and traditions that, in many cases, led to the killing of women without fault.”

She added that many violations were committed against women, stressing that “political violence was the most dangerous form practiced against women, as their freedom of expression and political participation was restricted, and they were not granted the right to run for office or to be fairly represented in decision-making positions.”

She pointed out that the establishment of the Syrian Women’s Union under the former regime did not constitute genuine empowerment, as it was run with a patriarchal mindset, and women’s participation in it was merely symbolic.

Women’s Aspirations

After the fall of the regime, Ossi said, “Syrian women were eager to participate in outlining the features of a future Syria, but the steps taken by the transitional government were not based on women’s will—such as the so-called ‘National Dialogue Conference,’ where women participated in small and symbolic numbers, as well as the constitutional declaration written in a masculine tone that did not reflect women’s rights.”

She also pointed to the formation of the government, where only one woman was included despite women’s major role in the early stages of the revolution, as well as the so-called ‘People’s Assembly’ elections, where women’s participation did not exceed 4%, a modest percentage that does not reflect women’s sacrifices.

Women’s Revolution as an Alternative Model

Ossi stressed that the experience of the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria presented a historic model for the status and role of women, noting that “women participated in drafting the social contract, and women’s rights organizations were established to protect their rights. In addition, women’s military forces, represented by the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), were formed, with thousands of women on the front lines, many of whom were martyred defending freedom.”

She continued: “It is essential for women to be partners in drafting a new constitution that protects their rights, represented by no less than 50% in all structures and institutions, and present in official delegations, political missions, and national dialogues.”

She also noted that 70% of today’s Syrian population is female, and it is unfair for women to be excluded again from decision-making positions, asserting that “if women are absent, the past will be reproduced, and political and social violence against us will continue.”

Ossi concluded by affirming that “the revolution of North and East Syria is a women’s revolution, and all Syrian women must unite with one voice to end all forms of violence and build a democratic, pluralistic, decentralized Syria that guarantees equality and justice for all its women.”

a.k

ANHA