Syrian Women demand protection for civilians and end to massacres

Voices condemning the crimes of the interim government’s mercenaries against Syrian communities are growing, especially among women, amid ongoing attacks and escalations targeting the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah neighborhoods, with urgent calls to restore security, safety, and end all forms of violence and forced displacement.

Adhab Mustafa, co-chair of the General Youth Council of the Syria Future Party, stated that women in Syria, particularly within the country, face enormous challenges on all levels. She emphasized that what happened in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah is not merely random shelling, but a systematic attack targeting societal will and consciousness before harming people and property.

Mustafa clarified that the attacks did not target one community alone but affected all coexisting communities in the neighborhoods, including Arabs, Kurds, Yazidis, Circassians, and Armenians. She described the attacks as multi-dimensional—beginning with military shelling, continuing with ideological targeting, and aimed at breaking the will of civilians, especially women and youth.

She added that today, the responsibility falls on all administrations and actors in Syria without exception, stressing that the main goal from the beginning has been and remains to protect the people, maintain security, guarantee the rights of all communities and religions, and work toward a public peace that ensures coexistence and social justice.

Rosheen Hussein Alu, displaced from Kafr Dali – Jindires city in occupied Afrin, stated: “The people continue to demand justice and the rights of the martyrs.” She emphasized that what they endured of suffering, displacement, and siege is unbearable. “We want reconciliation among all Syrian parties. Enough of what we have suffered until today; what did innocent civilians, children, and women do wrong?”

She stressed the need to honor the martyrs who sacrificed their lives defending Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah and called on the concerned authorities to intervene quickly to restore security and protect the population.

In a moving testimony, the child Dorshin Aynak Rashu from occupied Afrin described the suffering of children who have endured repeated displacement, noting that this is the fourth forced relocation in her life.

She asked: “When will we live like other children? We are no longer afraid of Turkey or its mercenaries, but what we are living through is very painful. Enough injustice against our people, we want to live our childhood.”

Dorshin added, “How long will we keep moving from place to place? You left us nothing in Afrin, and even in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah, you fought to forcibly displace us.” She concluded her statement saying: “We fear only God, and we will resist until we prevail.”

ANHA