Rochelle Junior
SWEIDA - In a deeply moving scene, a group of women, artists, and human rights activists in the Syrian city of Sweida concluded on Saturday, November 1st, the “Voices 2” project - an initiative carrying heartfelt messages born from pain, aiming to make art a bridge that delivers the voices of forcibly disappeared women to society and the world.
The closing session of the campaign served as an opportunity for reflection and dialogue about the project’s impact — how effectively the songs conveyed the suffering of abducted and missing women, and how the community has responded to these unresolved calls for justice and truth.


Art as a Tool for Change... “Bazel” Believes in the Power of Song
Lamis Joudieh, one of the founders of Bazel, a local volunteer civil team, spoke about the core idea behind the campaign:
“At Bazel, we believe that art is a tool for social change and for expanding circles of thought. Voices 2 is an extension of Voices 1, which was a choir singing about women’s issues and pain - but this time, we expanded the work into a full advocacy campaign.”
She explained that the participating women underwent intensive training on advocacy concepts and campaign planning before creating and performing four original songs - written and composed by the women themselves - carrying powerful messages about the experiences of women who suffered violence and violations during the bloody events of July in Sweida.
“These songs,” she added, “are not just art. They are a cry against enforced disappearance, killing, displacement, and sexual violence - demanding accountability, justice, and the revelation of the fate of the missing women. We refuse for them to be victimized twice - once by abduction, and again by neglect or oblivion.”

‘We Will Not Stay Silent About the Disappearance of Women’
Attorney Hadeel Salman emphasized during the session that the campaign sought to reignite public attention toward the plight of women abducted during the Sweida attack, noting that the fate of many remains unknown to this day.

“It is tragic,” she said, “that we still do not know what happened to the abducted women. Yet we insist on making their voices heard by every possible means - through words, songs, and music - to tell society that these women are neither incomplete nor stigmatized. They possess full human and social rights despite all they endured.”
Salman stressed the need to change societal attitudes toward survivors of abduction, to resist stigma or emotional exploitation they may face, and to ensure that community support becomes a crucial step toward justice.


‘A Voice for the Voiceless’... Women Advocating for Their Own Cause

Participant Lana Dawara described “Voices 2” as a natural continuation of the first phase, but one that carried a deeper emotional weight given the harsh conditions Sweida has faced since the July events.
“We wanted,” she said, “to shed light on the issue of missing and abducted women - to be their voice in their absence. We hope our message reaches far and that these women can return home, to be treated as victims rather than outcasts. They are part of the social fabric that must protect them, not marginalize them.”
Dawara added that this campaign is “a message of peace and hope - a call for justice and safety to prevail in Sweida and throughout Syria.”

The Song as a Means of Advocacy
The campaign went beyond musical performances; it included the online release of the songs, the publication of informational and legal awareness materials, and the dissemination of relevant international resolutions - such as UNSCR 1325 and UNSCR 1820, which call for the protection of women in armed conflicts and accountability for perpetrators of gender-based violence.
According to the Bazel team, the aim was to create both social and institutional pressure to enforce these resolutions on the ground and to transform art into a genuine advocacy tool that gives women’s issues a deeply human dimension.

Hope Beyond Silence
At the conclusion of the session, participants exchanged ideas and recommendations about the campaign’s impact and the possibility of expanding it further. They reflected:
“Did these songs reach a wide audience? Did they truly make people see the stories of abducted women through a humane, nonjudgmental lens? And can these efforts eventually bring real change in laws and accountability?”
Although the road ahead remains long, the participants expressed their hope that their voices have reached as many people as possible - and that art may one day become not just a source of entertainment, but a space for justice.