HEDÎL EL-OMER

Idlib- The culture of domestic violence and impunity and the ongoing war cause the rise of femicide cases in the NE Syria’s regions occupied by Turkey and Turkish-backed factions.

Women are killed by their fathers and husbands

15-year-old Lema El- Mehmûd, who was battered and left without food and water for days by her father for chatting with a man on a social media platform, lost her life.

In another murder case, a man named Samir Bekdaş shot and killed his wife in front of their children. Sara El- Ehmed, the sister of the killed woman, told NuJINHA that her sister came from Germany to see her children but her husband- they lived separated from each other- did not allow her to see her children.

Man killed a woman after being released from prison

A man killed his wife after being released from prison. Meram El-Ayan, the neighbor of the murdered woman, told NuJINHA that the man had been held in prison for using violence against his wife. After being released from the prison, he attacked and killed his wife. The dead body of the woman was found in the house by her relatives.

25-year-old Fatime Merhî was shot and killed by her husband Amir Merhî in front of her children. The man was arrested three days later and he confessed to killing his wife.

The ongoing war and insecurity most affect women

Psychologist and Social Counselor Emal  El- Zeatûr told NuJINHA that the increase in femicide cases is related to the security crisis and the lack of security of women. “I call on the authorities and especially on NGOs to hold more awareness-raising seminars.”

The Syrian Network for Human Rights announced in its 2021 annual report that women living in occupied regions have become the direct target of very serious rights violations. The report also said that rights violations against women included killings, arrest, torture, forced disappearing, sexual violence, displacement and forced displacement.