Lubna AlkanawatiExecutive Director of Women Now for Development For the women in Syriay Roulah Al Rekbieresponsible for the organization in its delegation in the Lebanonthey have received the ICIP Award of the International Catalan Institute for Peace by the Building of Peace. With a team of more than 200 people, their work focuses on rights of women and their political participation In a country in full transition after the fall of the Bashar the Asad regime. In conversation with the newspaper, they analyze the immediate challenges and the decisive role of women in reconstruction.
How has the situation changed for women and girls after the fall of the regime?
Roulah Al Rekbie: Before we worked in Syria but outside the areas controlled by the regime. Now we are throughout the country and try to officially register. Our objective remains the defense of human and feminist rights, and the real participation of women in public life. Today the female presence in the government is superficial, without real decision -making. We want each woman to have political representation, because serious violence still persist: violations, kidnappings, the use of women’s body as a weapon of war.
And how has you impacted on your organization’s work?
Lubna Alkanawati: We have expanded. We have about 200 employees distributed between Syria, Lebanon, Türkiye and Europe. We launched a project with the UN Fiduciary Fund to combat domestic violence in northern Syria. But we also face divisions within the feminist movement: before the opposition to Asad joined us; Now, after their fall, some organizations have aligned with the new government. It is a transition period in which we seek to redefine alliances. Our work axes are clear: legal equality, protection against discrimination and programs built from the base needs, not from above. In addition, donors now demand projects within the country, although sanctions, lack of banking system and enormous logistics difficulties persist.
The new government has appointed women in power positions, but some like the governor of the Central Bank have resigned after a few months. Because?
L.A.: It is either decorative positions without real power, or they are women so related to the regime that make them puppets. The 20% parliamentary quota for women is not even mandatory. The female participation they promote is more symbolic than effective. The Government seeks to project a liberal image before the international community, but in practice not even ministers have real power, but be exercised by religious or military figures “in the shadow.”
A young woman holds a flag of the opposition with three stars while the Syrians celebrate the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the Umayyad Square, in Damascus, Syria. / Antonio Pedro Santos / EFE
What is the human rights situation?
L.A.: There is no true rule of law: each area responds to the orders of local leaders or armed factions. In Suwayda, Latakia, Homs, Rural Hama, even in Kurdish or Idlib areas, abuses continue. It is a period of chaotic and dangerous transition, with risk of new civil war or another dictatorship.
In education and justice, what risks do you observe?
R.A.R.: Syria was a secular state, but now they try to impose Sharía (Islamic Law) in all spheres. I don’t think it prosper: Syrians are religious, but not fans, and maintain an open relationship with faith.
L.A.: The problem is the total absence of political life. There are no elections or freedom to decide the state model. If an Islamic Constitution is approved at the polls, it must be the result of the debate, not of the weapons.
What role should women have in the political transition?
L.A.: We must lead. Asad’s fall is also our achievement. We have been present in social, political and economic. However, when the achievements arrive, they exclude us and men take credit. That must end. Now initiatives arise inside and outside Syria: women who organize, make lobby, educate about the importance of voting and support female lists. It is a promising movement that resists exclusion.
How has the expansion of the conflict in Lebanon impact on their work?
R.A.R.: Since October 7 the situation is very hard. Hizbulá controls much of the country, Israel Bombardea and violence extends. International NGOs are monitored and pressed not to express opinions on Gaza. They have increased hate and discrimination against Syrian refugees, who cannot work, obtain residence or send their children to school. Many are forced to return to a country that is not yet safe.
And to what extent can Lebanon sustain displaced people, being such a fragile country?
L.A.: Lebanon received huge international funds for refugees, especially in education, but were not used properly. The sectarian system complicates everything. There is a national plan for the return of Syrian refugees in Lebanon but it is not viable: houses are destroyed, there is no employment or reconstruction and ethnic discrimination persists. ACNUR gives $ 400 per family, but that amount does not reach a month of rent. A much greater effort of the international community is needed.
What are the three most urgent priorities to protect women’s rights in Syria?
L.A.: The first is accountability: each perpetrator must face justice.
R.A.R.: The second, guarantee political and personal freedoms. Without political rights we cannot rebuild the country. The third priority is to guarantee the independence of civil society, especially of the organizations led by women. We need political and financial support: without us, no one will defend the rights of women in Syria.
Subscribe to continue reading
