NOURSHAN ABDI

Kobani — Women in many Syrian regions endure harsh conditions as a result of violations and assaults perpetrated by the jihadists of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, representing the interim government, aimed at excluding women's roles and preventing their participation in shaping the country's future and building a new constitution. These practices exacerbate the marginalization of women and limit their presence in paths of political and social change.

Syrian women constitute a fundamental pillar of society, particularly in the phase of recovery and reconstruction. Yet today they face widespread violations including abduction, killing, torture, arrest, and rape, especially in the coastal regions, Suwayda, and Homs. The interim government also pursues exclusionary policies that distance women from participation in constitution-drafting and leadership positions, preventing the consolidation of their presence and role in building a new Syria.

 

One Unified Struggle Despite Geographical Differences and Diverse Resistance Methods

Nisreen Deeb, a lecturer at the Faculty of Agriculture at Kobani University, explains that the reality of Syrian women has undergone substantial changes over the decades. Before the crisis, women enjoyed a prominent role in building society and influencing their surroundings, despite the long-standing oppression the country experienced. Nevertheless, women were able to learn, work, and prove their autonomy in many communities.

Nisreen Deeb points out that Syrian women have left a clear mark during the years of crisis, each according to the conditions of her region and the nature of her struggle. In Rojava, women took up arms in defense of identity and cause, raising the banner of their beliefs for their society. In other parts of Syria, women chose a different path of struggle—educating children and building a generation capable of confronting the effects of war, becoming the mainstay of the family in all respects.

She notes that this diversity in resistance methods affirms that women are an essential partner in society, an inseparable counterpart. Despite the loss of children, husbands, and fathers, and the violations they endured, women managed—through their awareness and determination—to protect themselves. She affirms that women, despite the depth of the wounds left by the crisis, continued their struggle and overcame many ordeals, proving that they are an integral part of Syria's future.

Nisreen Deeb emphasizes that women in Rojava and the Autonomous Administration areas have presented an exceptional struggle experience, engaging in widespread resistance and establishing a pioneering presence in building society at the political, social, and cultural levels. She notes that this advanced role makes the experience of Rojava's women a model from which every Syrian woman can draw inspiration, through which she can intensify her struggle to demand her rights in the new Syria, ensuring an active presence and an independent entity for women in the country's future.

She points out that Syrian women today face high levels of oppression and repression in areas controlled by the interim government, making this fear a direct cause of the spread of ignorance and limiting their capacity to contribute, thereby reproducing their marginalization within society so that they become as man and authority want them to be, rather than as they deserve.

Nisreen Deeb calls on women in Syria to strengthen their belief in themselves and their intellectual capacities, affirming that women's awareness of their duties and role in changing society gives them the power to be a fundamental pillar in building the new Syria, and to liberate themselves from the exclusion practiced by the interim government. She stresses the necessity of addressing women's consciousness so they realize the value of what they and others have contributed, and assume responsibility for continuing the mission.

 

The Urgent Need for Legal Protection

Nisreen Deeb explains that women are living in extremely harsh conditions, subjected to abduction, torture, violence, and arrest, treated as commodities that men can exploit at will. She notes that these practices particularly target women outside the Sunni sect, making violations more widespread in Syria's coastal regions and Homs, where cases of young girls being abducted have been recorded—a scene that reflects the gravity of women's situation there.

She warns that the continuation of this reality without a deterrent law will lead to further deterioration and will deprive women of opportunities for life and self-development. She emphasizes the necessity of enacting clear legislation to protect women within the framework of the new state, ensuring their rights and duties as citizens.

In concluding her remarks, Nisreen Deeb stresses that women in Syria need to focus on two fundamental points: faith in thought and the ability to develop themselves despite fear and oppression, because women are capable of protecting themselves, their society, and their identity. She also calls for the enactment of personal status legislation that guarantees everyone's rights and for an end to violations, with the necessity of a constitution and law that protect women's existence and identity—provided they are actually implemented on the ground and do not remain mere written texts.