• by Fayiz AL Ali

Women's economic rights in the shadow of war, how can their stolen rights be restored to them?

More than a decade after the outbreak of the war in Syria, women's hopes and aspirations for change are still pending in a society that is conscious and capable of granting them their full rights to a safe and dignified life. Accordingly, they continue to fight against discrimination in all economic and social aspects. They have always been depicted with a stereotype that addresses them as weak and seeks to distort their status and ability. Although they wear a mask of power, they play the role of the head of the family for those around them.

Women pay the highest price in conflict zones

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights report, twelve years of conflict have exhausted women internally and externally: "More than 28,000 women have been killed since the beginning of March 2011 until now, and 11,000 women have been arrested and forcibly disappeared. In addition to more than 11,000 cases of sexual assault targeting girls." Of course, those who survived either were rejected by their families and society because of the stigma in their eyes or struggled to survive and keep their children amid an ongoing war. Despite this responsibility, however, at the same time, it showed the extent of its effectiveness and influence in society while proving its scientific and practical ability and building and continuous development itself. So she clung to her children and was their father and mother. As for the certificate holders, they had the most significant footprint and impact on society. The doctor is in field hospitals, the teacher is raising ignorance among children, and the most considerable part is in awareness arenas. Many of them are in voluntary and relief work, despite the attempts of societal customs and traditions to silence their voices and deprive them. However, they did not back down from their position and their calls to preserve and preserve their rights.

Women and economic rights, between marginalization and hopes!

All legislative and constitutional laws in Syria grant women the right to own property and to inherit. However, it is one of the problems that women face at the level of real estate ownership, as depriving them of the right to inheritance is legitimized, amidst the absence of society’s awareness of their right and their lack of demand for it, especially since the customs and traditions that have prevailed for decades directly affect their deprivation.

Campaign "Promoting Women's Economic Rights" and the goals of the organization

In light of the denial of rights that women in northern Syria suffer from during the ongoing war and their lack of awareness, economically and socially, of their rights, the Peace Revival Organization sought to implement a project entitled "Promoting Women's Economic Rights". It aims to support the rights of Syrian women by educating them about their heritage and economic rights in society, then urging them to claim them and enable them to access them, which contributes to the economic and social empowerment of women in general in an unstable region that has witnessed and continues to witness thousands of human rights violations in general. The Ihya al-Salam team implemented dialogue sessions at the "Fox Group" center, bringing together the various concerned groups of society, including jurists, intellectuals, influencers in the targeted communities, and representatives of volunteer teams concerned with women's rights, with the aim of ending the problems of inheritance in the region. In the next stage, lectures were held targeting active and influential men, with an advocacy campaign and support for all. By publishing defining statements about the problem and the law regulating it, along with a success story for empowering women with their right to inheritance, after the actors intervened in one of the targeted areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo, "the city of Atarib and Darat Izza", with the city of Kafr Takharim in Idlib countryside. This encourages the continuation of awareness-raising and advocacy campaigns, because the combined contribution to empowering women socially and economically has a major role in empowering them, motivating various actors to participate in society and building a society that appreciates the importance and role of women away from the influence of de facto authorities, customs and traditions. Believing in the role of women in society and the civilized renaissance that everyone hopes for, we are working with constant endeavor to build and enhance women’s awareness and empower them in various fields as a priority in light of wars, so that they can organize themselves and defend their interests and those of their families. Behind every interdependent, compassionate and cooperative society, there is a conscious woman who promotes rights.