Tadorn or not come back, and where? After the fall of the Assad government in December 2024many of the Syrians who have left her during the last 14 years, forced to exile, are at a crossroads. Fought between the desire to return to their land and the fear of what awaits them: a dramatic and emergency situation in which, he denounces the UNHCR, a 16 million Syrians are missing food, accommodation, health care. In particular, women.
The young activist tells it Nour Jarrouj, who in 2018 left Syria for the United Kingdom, where he was able to study. Today he is fighting for “the right of refuge women to make informed decisions on their repatriation”. Confirms it Celine Schmittspokesperson UNHCR in Syria. “Syrian women They are playing an important role. Despite being marked by years of war, they are guiding the change: by opening activities, taking care of young people and the elderly, welcoming the repatriated and finding solutions where the institutions fail ». But it is clear that, at the moment, The degree of inclusion in roles of political, economic and civil leadership that the Syria of tomorrow will allow them is not yet clear.
Syria at the crossroads, what role for women after Assad?
“More than 370,000 refugees are back from 8 December, full of hope and eager to contribute to the reconstruction of their homeland, After years of exile“, explains Schmitt. “The words ‘hope’, ‘Best future’ and ‘reconstruction’ are no longer a utopia.” And yet, despite the changes in the political panorama and the air of change that permeates society, humanitarian needs persist and beyond 90 percent of the Syrians lives below the poverty line.
Reports of security problems are frequent, such as Thefts, kidnappings, crimes of revenge and sexual violence, of which the victims are often women. In addition, the continuous bombings e Israeli occupation in the south-west of the country They are causing new displaces and risks, even for women and girls. A consistent threat, for fragile peace.
From a recent UNHCR survey on Syrian refugees who live in the region emerged that 27 percent of them intends to return in your country within the next 12 months. But the majority remains hesitant, worried about the safety and lack of accommodation and work.
Women icons of the Syrian revolution
The collective and individual memory is marked by 14 years of war. Years in which many female figures also opposed the regime, becoming symbols of the revolution. Nour Jarrouj reminds you.
Like the actress, and icon, May Scaff: Cristiana, activist, was forced to exile in 2013, and in exile he died, at 49 years old. “I will not lose hope and I ask you to never do it,” were his last public words written on social media.
The Syrian actress May Skaf performs on 20 August 2017 in Paris with a theater company in an experiment of “chemical dance”, while the civil war in progress in Syria was the scene of repeated accusations of attacks with chemical weapons against civilians. May Skaf died on July 23, 2018 in Paris. (Photo Credit Should Read Zakaria Abdelkafi/AFP via Getty Images)
From May Scaff to Fadwa Suleiman, war does not have a woman’s face
OR Al-Basha Lamastudent, held a seat in the local council of Talm founded after the early stages of the 2011 Revolution: it was arrested in 2014. His name is one of the hundreds appeared on “Death list”the catalog that reports the people who killed or tortured to death in government prisons.
Still, Razan Zeitouneh, lawyer, Disappeared from December 2013. “Those like us who document the dead, do not cry,” he wrote before being kidnapped by a group of masked men in Douma, in the suburbs of Damascus.
And then Fadwa Suleiman, actress – and Alawita as Assad – who, nEl 2011, when they broke out Protests in the city of Homs, He changed his face: short hair and kefiah, he became an icon of the revolution. She too, forced to exile, died in Paris at 47 years old.
The Syrian active and activist Fadwa Suleimane in 2012 in Paris. On March 25, Suleiman invited his compatriots to join the revolution against the Syrian regime. (Photo by Jacques Demarthon/AFP via Getty Images)
What women are waiting for in tomorrow’s Syria
Behind and next to them there are “millions of Syrian women, displaced internally and externally, many of which are deeply traumatized, but persevering»Explains Nour Jarrouj again. “While we look at the future of Syria, one thing is clear: we Syrian women must be at the forefront in the reconstruction process to create the free and democratic Syria that we have dreamed of and for which we have fought in the last 14 years”.
No woman, regardless of her religion, ethnic or sexual orientation, should however be forced to return to Syria. “Not until he feels completely safe and protected in doing it.” Nour Jarrouj reiterates. For this, at this very delicate phase, it is fundamental to ensure that foreign aid include funds intended for the emancipation of Syrian women and to the support of their inclusion in roles of political, economic and civil leadership.
Support for Syrian women of UNHCR
UNHCR support also goes in this direction. The UN agency for refugees supports women With a network of community centers, safe spaces where they receive psychological support, legal assistance, information on services and tools to face violence and discrimination. Spaces where they are not only beneficiary, but active protagonists: consultants, facilitators and points of reference.
As Celine Schmitt, spokesperson explains UNHCR In Syria, «In the governments of Homs, Aleppo, Dar’a and Damascus rural, the UNHCR supports programs for social inclusion, professional training and female resilience. Many women, thanks to small funds or economic literacy courses, have started activities that now support entire families ».
The female committees in dialogue with local authorities
At the same time, the agency promotes the creation of «female committees that dialogue with local authorities, They organize awareness -raising activities and monitor the risks of violence and discrimination in the neighborhoods. Where they operate, there has been greater trust in the protection mechanisms “, continues Schmitt.
However, the global crisis of funding is also putting these essential programs at risk. “And the lack of support”, concludes Schmitt, “exposes many women to violence and exploitation”.
I woman © RESERVED REPRODUCTION