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Fighting on Three Fronts: Syrian Women' Struggle for Rights
Abstract
Seeking dignity and freedom, Syrian women are fighting a war on three fronts today. Along the men in the opposition, they are fighting the regime for freedom and democracy; also with men they are fighting the Islamists to maintain their rights to equal citizenship. Internally, they are fighting their colleagues in the opposition to gain equal representation. Women continue to pressure the three fronts along with the international community to advance their political rights. Despite their despair, women continue the fight knowing that neither the regime nor the opposition will pay attention to advancing women’s rights. Why and how women continue the fight is the focus of this paper. Women continue the fight because they feel ownership of this revolution. The Syrian revolution has been labeled as the “Women’s Revolution” and women are not about to give up this claim any time soon. They claim this revolution to be theirs because women are present in every aspect of it. Between 2011 and 2012, the role of Syrian women has evolved from organizing protests to leading local coordinating councils in liberated areas. With the development of the conflict in 2013, they assumed more critical roles in providing humanitarian and medical assistance, providing media reporting as well as security and economic assistance. Women have taken on the responsibility of distributing desperately needed food and medical supplies and they are often the ones who provide medical assistance to the wounded due to the lack of safety in local hospitals. Likewise, security is often easier for women, as several forces have allowed female activists to smuggle supplies and food to those in need. Women have also filled the void in media coverage of the revolution by secretly filming demonstrations, documenting human rights violations and uploading these videos and information to the internet. More actively, women have opened up their homes to fleeing activists and refugees. Within the political and economic sector, women have initiated various coalitions to unite minorities and raise funds for the opposition.
Discipline
Sociology
Geographic Area
Syria
Sub Area
Gender/Women's Studies