GUFRAN AL-HABIS

Aleppo- Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), jihadist armed group in Syria, took control of Syria’s capital Damascus on December 8, 2024, overthrowing the Syrian government and starting an uncertain period for Syria. Since the civil war started in Syria, women have fought for survival and struggled to ensure gender equality and justice in the country. The story of Bushra al-Sulaiman reveals the determination of women in this struggle and the difficulties faced by them.

Bushra al-Sulaiman, a human rights defender in Aleppo, thinks the civil war started in 2011 is a turning point in her life.

‘I have lost many of my friends’

Like every person in Syria, Bushra al-Sulaiman first thought that the civil war in Syria would end soon and they would have a normal life again; however, her life has changed as the civil war has worsened.

“I studied at the University of Aleppo for a year; however, I could not complete my education due to the ongoing bombardments. I took shelter in a temporary shelter with my family and then we settled in a safer place. Since 2011, I have lost many of my friends.”

‘I felt like a new person’

Due to the ongoing attacks, Bushra al-Sulaiman went to Aleppo along with her family to find a safe place. On her way, she saw a sign reading, “Amal Enterprise Center” in the Aleppo countryside. “I felt as if the sign was speaking to me. Therefore, I entered the center and saw a group of women with smiling faces. The center was like a training center. I decided to stay there and attend the courses of the center. At the center, I started dreaming again and I felt like a new person. Not only did I flee the war but also be able to do something for my society. Then, I became one of the activists of the center and gained many skills to provide psychological support to other women.”

 ‘I did not allow fear to control me’

Over time, Bushra al-Sulaiman started doing voluntary work for feminist initiatives to raise awareness against child marriage, gender-based violence and many other issues. “Women face many problems in our society and I decided to be the voice of women,” she told NuJINHA, giving information about the activities of the Amal Enterprise Center.

“The center is a space for women living in villages to discuss their problems and take advice. The center provides legal and psychological support to survivors of domestic violence. Some people began to accuse the center saying that its activities were against local customs and traditions. I also received a threatening letter. The letter read, ‘‘if you continue to teach women their rights and raise awareness, we will close your center and turn your life into hell’. But I did not allow fear to control me and kept working for women and children.”

The center still receives threats. Once the doors of the center were broken and threatening messages were written on the walls of the center. “We reported the threats to the authorities; however, they did nothing. Then, a smear campaign was launched against the center on social media platforms. We had no choice but to defend ourselves. Therefore, we had a meeting with women and called them to support us against the threats. I keep working at the center because we must be the voices of women.”