Syrian Women's Council witnesses increase in membership applications
Members of Syrian Women's Council disclosed that vast meetings are being held within Syria to raise women's awareness of their political and legal roles. They also confirmed that the Council is witnessing an increase in the number of Syrian women applying for membership.
Syrian Women's Council members interviewed our agency about the activities and interactions of the Council with women all across Syria as part of its efforts to democratize Syria and provide women's rights in the new constitution.
Here, Aziza Al-Youssef, on the Syrian Women's Council's organizing committee, said, "Women have a special role to play in democratizing Syria, not just because they constitute half of society, but because they are forces of change at this moment in the life of the nation."
Aziza invites us to believe that women's political engagement in decision-making is not just a legal issue, but a national duty for the resolution of the Syrian crisis. Women are among the populations most affected by the war and therefore most attuned to the requirements of justice and social reconstruction, in her opinion.
She further explained that the Council is advancing on more than one axis to guarantee women's rights in modern Syria, and foremost, political participation and constitutional participation by holding popular dialogues and conferences; awareness-raising and combating violence against women by founding specialized offices inside Syria; documentation of war violations against women in order to provide a true image about their suffering; and activating modern and educational capacities of women economically and educationally by training and supporting programs inside and outside Syria.
Real Representation of Women
On her behalf, Khadija Al-Abd, a member of the Council's Public Relations Office, made it clear once again that to marginalize women means to marginalize stability. She pointed out that creating a new Syria is not possible without women, who have been and continue to be at the forefront in preserving the social fabric as well as in the arena of civil and political struggle.
She said, "People's experience has demonstrated that only when women are engaged in designing solutions and not merely victims of crises is real stability possible."
She also said that the Council is fulfilling its work on the ground towards empowering women politically and socially, emphasizing that genuine democracy without the active participation of women in all aspects of life is not full.
The Council again reiterated its rejection of any attempt that will exclude women from political processes as an extension of the decades of women's exclusion.
A Message to Women
Khadija Al-Abed addressed the women of Syria and said, "You are not alone. Your voice, your fight, and your resistance are part of Syria's future. You are the heart of transformation. Your presence is an irreplaceable force. Together, we will strive for a democratic Syria that treats all its people equally."
In response, Itimad Al-Ahmad, a member of the Council's Organizational Bureau, said that Syrian women had a pioneering and real role in society, and today they are main actors who shape Syria's future.
She also said, "Women's role is no longer limited to social or cultural levels. They are now decision-makers in politics, economy, and society."
She asserted that Syrian women have paid a very steep price for the past 14 years of conflict, from displacement to death and homelessness, and therefore it is their right to join as equal partners in decision-making and not just a statistic figure.
Itimad Al-Ahmad warned that the exclusion of women from society today has very serious consequences on society because women possess a special power to sense society's pulse and represent it realistically, which makes them worthy to become involved in sincerely solving crises.
She explained that the activism of the council in North and East Syria was more accessible, whereas it only existed in a few regions of Syria previously, such as Sheikh Maqsoud and al-Shahba in Aleppo, due to the violence of the Ba'ath regime.
She clarified that after the fall of the Ba'ath regime, the activity of the council extended to cities such as Damascus, Lattakia, Sweida, and Homs, and female activists and independent figures joined its members.
She added that extensive sessions are being held inside Syria, sensitizing women on their political and legal roles, noting that educated women now began demanding inclusion on the council so that they may engage in their communities.
She concluded saying, "We, Syrian women, inside and outside the nation, have a single objective: to build a just, democratic Syria which guarantees equality for all its sons and daughters. Our voice is one, our struggle is one, and our destiny is common."
T/S
ANHA
Syrian Women's Council witnesses increase in membership applications
Syrian Women's Council members interviewed our agency about the activities and interactions of the Council with women all across Syria as part of its efforts to democratize Syria and provide women's rights in the new constitution.
Here, Aziza Al-Youssef, on the Syrian Women's Council's organizing committee, said, "Women have a special role to play in democratizing Syria, not just because they constitute half of society, but because they are forces of change at this moment in the life of the nation."
Aziza invites us to believe that women's political engagement in decision-making is not just a legal issue, but a national duty for the resolution of the Syrian crisis. Women are among the populations most affected by the war and therefore most attuned to the requirements of justice and social reconstruction, in her opinion.
She further explained that the Council is advancing on more than one axis to guarantee women's rights in modern Syria, and foremost, political participation and constitutional participation by holding popular dialogues and conferences; awareness-raising and combating violence against women by founding specialized offices inside Syria; documentation of war violations against women in order to provide a true image about their suffering; and activating modern and educational capacities of women economically and educationally by training and supporting programs inside and outside Syria.
Real Representation of Women
On her behalf, Khadija Al-Abd, a member of the Council's Public Relations Office, made it clear once again that to marginalize women means to marginalize stability. She pointed out that creating a new Syria is not possible without women, who have been and continue to be at the forefront in preserving the social fabric as well as in the arena of civil and political struggle.
She said, "People's experience has demonstrated that only when women are engaged in designing solutions and not merely victims of crises is real stability possible."
She also said that the Council is fulfilling its work on the ground towards empowering women politically and socially, emphasizing that genuine democracy without the active participation of women in all aspects of life is not full.
The Council again reiterated its rejection of any attempt that will exclude women from political processes as an extension of the decades of women's exclusion.
A Message to Women
Khadija Al-Abed addressed the women of Syria and said, "You are not alone. Your voice, your fight, and your resistance are part of Syria's future. You are the heart of transformation. Your presence is an irreplaceable force. Together, we will strive for a democratic Syria that treats all its people equally."
In response, Itimad Al-Ahmad, a member of the Council's Organizational Bureau, said that Syrian women had a pioneering and real role in society, and today they are main actors who shape Syria's future.
She also said, "Women's role is no longer limited to social or cultural levels. They are now decision-makers in politics, economy, and society."
She asserted that Syrian women have paid a very steep price for the past 14 years of conflict, from displacement to death and homelessness, and therefore it is their right to join as equal partners in decision-making and not just a statistic figure.
Itimad Al-Ahmad warned that the exclusion of women from society today has very serious consequences on society because women possess a special power to sense society's pulse and represent it realistically, which makes them worthy to become involved in sincerely solving crises.
She explained that the activism of the council in North and East Syria was more accessible, whereas it only existed in a few regions of Syria previously, such as Sheikh Maqsoud and al-Shahba in Aleppo, due to the violence of the Ba'ath regime.
She clarified that after the fall of the Ba'ath regime, the activity of the council extended to cities such as Damascus, Lattakia, Sweida, and Homs, and female activists and independent figures joined its members.
She added that extensive sessions are being held inside Syria, sensitizing women on their political and legal roles, noting that educated women now began demanding inclusion on the council so that they may engage in their communities.
She concluded saying, "We, Syrian women, inside and outside the nation, have a single objective: to build a just, democratic Syria which guarantees equality for all its sons and daughters. Our voice is one, our struggle is one, and our destiny is common."
T/S
ANHA
