Serin Mohammed

Aleppo — After jihadist factions of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham took control following the Ba’ath regime, women’s representation has continued to deteriorate. To this day, women hold only about 3% of the seats in the Syrian Parliament. Despite decades of marginalization under the Ba’ath government, the current interim administration continues along the same path, excluding women from political life.

During a forum organized by the Diplomatic Relations Committee of Kongra Star in Aleppo under the slogan “Women’s Justice: A Guarantee for a Democratic Syrian Constitution,” participants emphasized that women must be represented by at least 50% in all decision-making bodies — drawing inspiration from the women’s revolution in North and East Syria.

 

“The Women’s Experience in North and East Syria Is a Model of Democracy and Justice”

Khalida Abdo, Co-chair of the Aleppo Council of the Future Syria Party, told our agency that women have played — and continue to play — a crucial role throughout the Syrian crisis.

 “Syrian women have endured immense hardship and shown remarkable resilience. They were forced to take on both the roles of men and women during the war,” Abdo said.

She added that women have proven their strength in all fields — political, economic, social, and even military.

 “The experience of women in North and East Syria stands as living proof of this. The interim Syrian government must therefore amend the constitution to ensure it is truly democratic — one that guarantees the equal rights of all Syrian women and grants them equal participation in decision-making. Only then can we achieve justice and build a new Syria for everyone. Excluding women will never lead to a free, pluralistic, and democratic Syria.”

 

“No Nation Can Be Built Without Women”

Azniv Bartikian, a member of the Diplomatic Relations Committee of Kongra Star in Aleppo, described women as “the heartbeat of life — without them, nations cannot be built.”

She condemned the ongoing restrictions placed on women’s roles and participation in all areas of public life, calling such practices a violation of their rights, freedoms, and will.

Bartikian urged that the drafting of Syria’s new constitution must recognize women’s full rights and restore their genuine role as key actors in society.

Meanwhile, Ghsoon Mamash, one of the attendees at the forum held on Saturday, November 1, in Aleppo, highlighted the pivotal role of women in transforming society and contributing to its progress.

 “Women must have a voice in shaping the constitution, in decision-making, and in all councils, conferences, and community activities,” she affirmed. “Only then can we truly build a free and democratic Syria.”