Slide 1

Violence against women in Syria

By Devin Herron

Women in Syria have long been the victims of oppression and violence. In a country governed by strict religious Islamic values and a government with huge gaps in its legislature, the violence and suffering these women go through on a daily basis has ignored and just now being brought to light.

The first ever comprehensive field study was released in 2006 by the United Nations Development Fund for Women and The General Union of Women.

According to this study, 56 percent of Syrian women have been punished by their fathers or husbands, in the form of beatings, ignoring or verbal abuse. 49 percent of these cases resulted in beatings, often times in front of other family members.

Despite that 1 in 4 women face abuse, there are no current laws recognizing the practice of spousal abuse.

More than physical abuse, it is within Syrian law that a husband can physically force his wife to participate in sexual intercourse with him. The abused woman does not have the right to persecute her husband in the instance of this assault.

6Honor killings are a common and acceptable part of Syrian life. If a woman brings shame upon the family honor by unacceptable dress or sexually inappropriate activity, often times due to rapes, it is the practice to have her family kill her.

Article 548 of the penal code allows "He who catches his wife or one of his ascendants, descendants or sister committing adultery, or illegitimate sexual acts with another and he killed or injured one or both of them benefits from an exemption of penalty."

Despite the societies accepted behavior, there are people attempting to fight the law.Maha Al Ali is a female Syrian lawyer who is fighting the political system. She is currently trying to prosecute a case in which a brother stabbed his sister to death. Ali is trying the case not as an honor killing but as first degree murder, in the hopes that a victory will give pause to any families thinking about ordering their male relatives to kill in the name of honor.

Not only are steps being taken to change the law, but there are now organizations working towards providing safety for the battered women.The first Syrian womens shelter, Oasis, was opened this past August by the Association for Womens Role Development. This shelter opened with thirty available beds, and is already planning its expansion, due to the positive opinion of the Syrian government. The AWRD is already planning the construction of many more throughout Syria.

The Syrian Commission for Family Affairs began in 2003 as an effort to provide support and bring about change for women on a day to day basis as well as the political level. Though the Commission for Family Affairs is small they have made great efforts in spreading their cause, including appearing before the United Nations, and working with UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women).

The Syrian Womens Union is another organization working towards progress for women. This cause came about in 1967 with mobilizing women within a single organization and enhancing their level of education, political awareness, and level of skills to prepare women for a more effective and fuller role in social and economic development (Bakkur, 2003). This Union had spread rampantly throughout Syria, over 60 percent of housewives in Syria are affiliated in some way.

The Syrian Womens Union strives to put in to practice the goals and hopes that the National Syrian Womens Strategy. This strategy was created from the Beijing Conference for women and the Arab Plan of Action for Women. These guidelines include important family assistance such as family planning education, raising awareness and educating women, providing child care, and teaching skill and trade classes to local women.

Dr. Mouna Ghanem is the Chairperson of the Syrian Commission for Family Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic. She is actively involved in the quest to bring rights to the women of Syria. She uses her position in the Commission for Family Affairs as a tool to try to bring attention to the plights of Syrian Woman.

While advocates for human rights in Syria have been working hard to create new laws to piece in the holes in the current legislature, the government is not willing to embrace these changes. With so many severe issues that women must face it is imperative that these laws change to try to liberate and protect these Syrian women before it gets even more out of control.