Shedding light on Syrian women’s situation, current struggles

Today, the Union of Intellectuals in the Jazira Cantin organized an educational lecture titled “Challenges and Achievements of Syrian Women: Past and Present.” The event took place in the Reading Garden in the city of Qamishlo, with the participation of intellectuals, writers, and local residents.

The lecture was delivered by journalist Sawsan Khalaf and was structured around three main themes related to the journey of Syrian women.

In the first section, the status of Syrian women during the Ba'ath regime was reviewed. Khalaf noted that women were marginalized and their roles restricted by the regime’s policies, which relied on the “General Women’s Union” as a tool for control. Although legal texts supporting women's rights existed, the actual policies contradicted them, leading to a decline in women's roles across various fields of life.

The second section addressed the role of Syrian women over the 14 years of the revolution. It was emphasized that women were subjected to horrific forms of violence by the regime, extremist groups, and ISIS mercenaries. However, a contrasting experience was highlighted in the regions of North and East Syria, where the Autonomous Administration granted women a significant role in public life, contributing to their political and military empowerment.

The third section discussed the current situation of women under what Khalaf referred to as the “de facto authorities” following the fall of the Ba'ath regime. Despite the initial hope brought by this transitional phase, the ruling factions reinstated repressive tools, negatively impacting women’s rights and imposing new restrictions on their freedom.

Following the presentation, the floor was opened for discussion. Participants stressed the importance of unifying efforts to confront repressive and religiously extremist policies, emphasizing the need for women to advance within society to achieve progress and victory.

a.k

ANHA