Serin Muhammad

Aleppo — Syria’s current reality proves that it is no longer one unified whole; each part of the country is governed by a different system. The women and girls of Sheikh Maqsoud live under a civil administration that respects women and all communities, yet the moment they cross into areas controlled by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, they become at risk of disappearance, murder, and every imaginable threat.

Normalization of violence against women has been ongoing since the years of Ba’ath Party rule. After Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took control, this normalization became cloaked in the veil of religion. In Syria, discourse affiliated with both the authorities and jihadist groups attempts to downplay the seriousness of violence committed against women, while Syrian society undergoes dangerous transformations that could lead it to unexpected paths.

During a tour conducted by our agency in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, we spoke with women who discussed the importance of combating violence against women and the solutions that enable women to build a life based on justice and equality.

 

Violence Can Be Eradicated

Khalida Abdo, a resident of Sheikh Maqsoud, believes that one day is not enough to combat violence against women, as women around the world suffer daily from many forms of violence—psychological, physical, and social. She explains that women have struggled and fought to participate in all fields through their determination to end violence.

She noted that violence against Syrian women has increased dramatically in recent years—kidnapping, murder, rape, and displacement—at the hands of occupation mercenaries and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham jihadists, as witnessed in the Syrian coast and in the city of Suwayda in southern Syria.

Khalida believes that violence can indeed be eradicated, and that achieving this requires strengthening women through active participation in political life so they can secure their rights and defend their freedoms. She emphasized that women from all components must work to prove their role and strength in all areas and unite in opposing the laws issued by the Syrian Interim Government that suppress and obstruct women’s roles. “We will not accept a Syria in which women have no active role.”

 

A Link in a Long Chain of Violence

Iman Allou, also from Sheikh Maqsoud, explains that what has happened in Syria over the past year is merely another link in the chain of violence practiced against women over the last 15 years. “Women have had extremely limited roles—cultural, social, or economic.”

She pointed out that after the fall of the Ba’ath regime, women from various regions, such as Suwayda and the Syrian coast, were subjected to enslavement and rape. Women were not only marginalized in their roles—they became victims in all aspects of social life.

Iman emphasized that men play a major role in combating violence against women and must stand beside them and support them. “The Syrian woman is capable; she has the will and the capacity to make decisions and run conferences and ministries.”

She also highlighted a serious issue facing women in areas controlled by the Interim Government:
“When women and girls from Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud cross into areas under the Interim Government’s influence, they face kidnapping and even murder. We have girls who study in universities and schools and employees who must leave home early for work. We have become desperate for safety and stability. Today, when a girl goes to her school or university, her mother accompanies her out of fear that she might be kidnapped or enslaved.”

Iman stressed the importance of amplifying women’s voices across the world:
“Syrians today are all on the same ship. If the ship sinks, all Syrians will sink—women and men alike. Women, wherever they are, add their unique touch and creativity that men cannot replicate. The success of society depends primarily on the success of women.”

 

A Deep-Rooted Issue

Zaloukh Rashid explained that violence against women has existed since ancient history—over 5,000 years ago—when the matriarchal society was overthrown and replaced with a patriarchal system. “Violence is a deeply rooted issue, and we must examine its details in order to resolve it. It requires years of struggle and resistance to overcome.”

She stressed that violence is not limited to the physical; it also includes domestic violence, social violence, health-related violence resulting from neglect, and political violence manifested in excluding women from decision-making positions.

Zaloukh emphasized that the family is the smallest unit from which everything begins:
“When children are raised properly, on the principles of equality and democracy, we build a democratic generation. In education, school curricula must be reformed to be based on democratic and communal foundations to ensure that we graduate a generation that understands and accepts the idea that women have a role just as men do.”

Legally, she said that efforts must be united to change the unjust laws that prevent women from exercising their roles and expressing their opinions:
“As long as women have the will, we can achieve our goals.”

Zaloukh concluded by saying that the measure of a society’s progress depends on the liberation of women. If women are not free and protected from violence, there will be no democratic society—and thus no advanced or civilized society.