symposium highlights systematic violations

The Union of Women Lawyers in the North and East Syria region, in coordination with the Women's Council of the Movement for a Democratic Society, organized a dialogue symposium entitled "From Displacement to Dignity" at the Lawyers' Union Hall in Hasakah city, al-Jazira Canton.

The symposium aimed to clarify the legal right to safe return within the framework of a Syrian political solution, highlight the most common forms of suffering during displacement with a focus on women, and offer practical legal recommendations for safe return, compensation, and accountability.

Dozens of female lawyers from across North and East Syria participated in the dialogue session, along with representatives from the Women's Council of the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) and the Committee of Displaced Persons from Ras al-Ain.

The session began with a minute of silence, after which Shaha Khalil, a member of the Women's Council of TEV-DEM, explained the suffering of displaced persons in Afrin, Shahba, Ras al-Ain, and throughout Syria. She emphasized that true justice can only be achieved when Syrian women are free and when displaced persons return to their homes and lands.

Session One: Suffering During Displacement

The first session, which addressed the suffering of displacement, was moderated by Avin Jumaa, an administrator at the Human Rights Organization in Syria. She explained that the report she would present would not only include figures and statistics but would also document the voices of Syrian women who have lived through years of displacement, fear, and violence. Their testimonies, she stated, represent clear evidence of grave violations amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Scale of Displacement

Avin Jumaa said, “Since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria in 2011, the country has witnessed the largest wave of displacement in modern times, with the number of refugees and internally displaced persons exceeding 12.3 million by the end of 2025. This includes 6.2 million internally displaced persons living in protracted displacement conditions with no prospect of a safe return.”

Women at the Heart of the Crisis

She noted that women and children constitute the largest proportion of those affected, with the number of women estimated at more than 4 million. Many of these women have become the sole providers for their families due to the loss or absence of their husbands.

The Spread of Women's Suffering Across Syria

Avin Jumaa explained: "In northwestern Syria, approximately 4.5 million people live, including 2.9 million internally displaced persons, in overcrowded camps and dire humanitarian conditions. The coastal region and Swedia have also witnessed new waves of displacement due to escalating security measures and arbitrary arrests. In North and East Syria, hundreds of thousands have been displaced since 2018 and are expected to remain so until the end of 2025, amidst a lack of security guarantees and protection."

The Second Session: International Guarantees, Compensation, and Reparation

The second session comprised two main themes. The first, titled "International Guarantees," was moderated by Hawa Muhammad, co-chair of the lawyers' branch in Ras al-Ain. She stated: "Since the Turkish state and its mercenaries occupied Ras al-Ain and its surrounding countryside, the region has witnessed systematic violations against its original inhabitants. By October 2025, six years will have passed since the occupation and the widespread destruction it has caused."

The Most Prominent Documented Violations

Hawa Muhammad added that the Committee for the Displaced of Ras al-Ain documented repeated cases of forced displacement, demographic change, confiscation of homes and land, as well as arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture.

Legitimizing Seizure and Denying the Right of Return

Hawa Muhammad explained that the occupiers continue their attempts to legitimize the seizure of displaced persons' properties through forced sales, while thousands of families remain deprived of their right to return, amidst economic and social violations that include the plundering of resources and the use of villages for military purposes.

The second session, titled "Compensation and Reparation, Accountability," was moderated by lawyer Walaa Zafi. She explained that financial compensation covers the value of looted or occupied property, losses resulting from lost income, and physical and psychological damages, in addition to compensating widows and women who have lost their breadwinner, based on objective criteria, independent committees, and specialized expertise.

Property Restitution and In-Kind Compensation

Walaa Zafi noted that this includes the return of homes, agricultural land, vehicles, and shops, as well as the restitution of private property.

Psychosocial Support and Rehabilitation

She highlighted the importance of psychosocial support and rehabilitation, stating that it targets women survivors of sexual violence, extortion, and psychological trauma through psychosocial support programs and specialized social care centers.

Transitional Justice and Legal Accountability

Lawyer Walaa Zafi emphasized the necessity of prosecuting those responsible for violations, uncovering the truth, providing reparations, reforming institutions, and ensuring non-recurrence, based on international law, the Geneva Conventions, and the Rome Statute, while documenting violations and giving victims a voice.

Following the conclusion of the sessions, a discussion was opened among the attendees, during which displaced women from Ras al-Ain and Afrin shared their testimonies about the violations and massacres they endured, including theft, rape, and other grave abuses. Women from the Syrian coast and Swedia also gave video presentations, speaking about the massacres they endured and the violations committed against them by security factions.

The dialogue session concluded with a final statement and a set of outcomes, most notably:

1. Recognition of the right to safe return.

2. Guaranteeing protection from forced displacement.

3. Afrin to be administered by its people, including the internal security forces.

4. Restitution of property and fair compensation.

5. Return of stolen artifacts documented by human rights organizations.

6. Reparation and rehabilitation.

7. Accountability.

8. Departure of armed groups and their families to ensure safe return.

9. International monitoring mechanisms.

10. Annulment of all sales and purchase contracts in the occupied territories.

ANHA