Uplifting Syrian Women

Menu

USW

Nelson Mandela International Day

Nelson Mandela International Day

International Celebration /
Nelson Mandela International Day

Nelson Mandela International Day

“It is easy to break and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.”
-Nelson Mandela. [1]

“Each year, on this day, Nelson Mandela’s birthday, we pay tribute to this extraordinary man who embodied the highest aspirations of the United Nations and the human family.”
-António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General. [1]

“It is our individual responsibility to follow Madiba’s example of humility, forgiveness, and compassion while advocating for democracy and peace throughout the world.”
-Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. [5]

You may have heard of Nelson Mandela before. You may know that he is one of the greatest peacemakers and that he was the former President of South Africa. Let us talk and shed light on this man and the change he made.

A glimpse into the life of Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was born on July 18 in the town of Mphiso in the Transkei region of South Africa. He excelled in his studies and attended Fort Harry College, but was expelled from it for participating in the protests against apartheid in 1940. Therefore, he completed his studies by correspondence in Johannesburg and obtained his law degree. In 1952, Nelson opened a law firm with his friend, Oliver Tambo’.

His political journey began at the age of twenty. In 1944, he joined the African National Congress, which opposed apartheid. He was imprisoned several times due to his political activism prior to being sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964. During his imprisonment, he became an international symbol of the struggle against racism, so the South African government succumbed to internal and international pressures and released Mandela in 1990.

Mandela was elected as president of South Africa in 1994, the first democratically elected black president. In 1999, he decided to retire and did not run for a second presidential term, and worked in charitable works through the Mandela Foundation to combat AIDS, and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5, 2013. [6]

What is Nelson Mandela International Day?

The United Nations acknowledged the contribution of Nelson to the struggle for democracy internationally and the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world. The United Nations celebrates July 18 as Nelson Mandela International Day to recognize the birthday of South Africa’s former President and his outstanding contribution to a culture of peace and freedom. Nelson Mandela International Day was declared in November 2009. [1]
For the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), this Day is a time to draw attention to all the prisoners; as it is estimated that there are more than 10 million prisoners around the world. [2]

Also read: World Youth Skills Day.

Rules of Nelson Mandela

The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights did not specifically refer to prisoners, although the rights it laid out – including the prohibition of torture and the right to a fair trial – covered them. Therefore, in 1955, the First United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders adopted the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the expanded rules, known as the “Nelson Mandela Rules.” [3]

Among these rules:

  1. All prisoners shall be treated with due respect for their inherent dignity and value as human beings. No prisoner shall be subjected to torture or inhuman treatment.
  2. Rules are applied impartially. There shall be no discrimination in treatment on the grounds of race, colour, sex, religion, or any other status. [4]

And many other rules that focus on respecting the prisoner’s being a human being in the first place; In other words, the aim of these rules is to rehabilitate prisoners to be willing and able to lead law-abiding lives upon release, which is necessary to reduce recidivism and contribute to public safety. As the Director of UNODC stated, “Nelson Mandela’s Rules are a blueprint for prison management. …and that it provides solutions based on the fundamental principles of security, safety, and dignity within all prisons and for all prisoners.” [2]

The achievements of Nelson Mandela

During his presidency, Mandela established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate human rights violations under the apartheid regime. He also worked to improve the living standard of the population through many initiatives in the areas of housing, education, and economic development; among his accomplishments during this period:

Firstly, Presenting a special program for reconstruction and development to address many social and economic issues. For example employment, housing, water, electricity, and poverty reduction.
secondly. Launching the Mandela Children’s Fund with the aim of helping young people and orphans.
Third, Introduce a progressive constitution to South Africa that ensures a strong central government based on the rule of the majority, the guarantee of minority rights, and freedom of expression.

In addition, the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Nelson Mandela and Frederick William De Klerk for their efforts in the peaceful end of the apartheid regime and the establishment of a new democratic foundation for South Africa. [7]
On this day, let us remember this great person who devoted 67 years of his life to serving his country and humanity together. This man changed the lives of many and his influence is still present.

Nelson Mandela was concerned with many humanitarian issues and worked in the fields of conflict resolution and ethnic relations. He also worked on the promotion and protection of human rights and gender equality, the rights of children and other vulnerable groups, and the improvement of the conditions of the poor and underdeveloped societies. [1]

In honor of Mandela, the United Nations established in June 2014 the “Nelson Mandela Prize”. is awarded every five years and recognizes those who dedicate their lives to the service of humanity. [8]
Nelson Mandela, was a protector of human rights, international peacemaker, hero, and role model for many.  People used to call Mandela “Madiba” out of respect, which is the name of his tribe.

Due to the fact that our initiative aims at sustainable peacebuilding, Nelson Mandela sets an example for us, individually and collectively. On this day, we would like to talk about this great man, perhaps his story motivates us to achieve our goals, refuse injustice, and demand the truth. To remember that violence only brings violence, but peace and humanity towards the other are the cornerstones of all aspects of life; from creating a family to building and developing societies.

♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.

References:

[1] UN Events

[2] UNODC

[3] UN Chronicle

[4] UN Events- Rules of Nelson Mandela

[5] UN News

[6] Aljazeera

[7] Mawdoo3

[8] UN News

Nelson Mandela International Day Read More »

World Youth Skills Day

World Youth Skills Day

International Celebration /
World Youth Skills Day

World Youth Skills Day

World Youth Skills Day has been chosen in order to promote youth employment opportunities worldwide and to highlight their skills that help build a strong community. The United Nations has focused on dedicating this day to building gender equality in employment opportunities. 

The term ‘youth’ is related to the strength and vigour in everyone’s mind,  but in the current reality, it is difficult for young people to enjoy this stage due to the obstacles that block their path, the numerous responsibilities on their shoulders, and the difficult requirements that the future has placed in order to allow them to enter it.

“The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow.”
-Nelson Mandela [1]

What is World Youth Skills Day?

When we seek to improve society, we take all its groups into account and assess their needs, in order to have a good understanding of the problems they suffer from.
Young people worldwide suffer from numerous social problems that hinder their prosperity and reaching their fullest potential. Therefore, the United Nations General Assembly has been celebrating every year World Youth Skills Day on July 15, in order to express the importance of this day that relates to youth, their capabilities and their key role in progressing and developing societies. [2]

Since 2015, we have been celebrating this day to remind societies of the importance of preparing young people for the labour market and equipping them with employment and entrepreneurship skills by helping them enter the new world for them. It is our duty to ensure for them a flexible transition between school and work, and help them discover new capabilities through practical exercise so that they will be the ones who hold the hand of the following generation of young people in this transitional process.

Also read: World Refugee Day.

Obstacles facing young people for the World Youth Skills Day

In this accelerating age, time is passing at a different speed for the young generation. So imagine with me, you are a fresh graduate searching for a job, then you will be shocked by the reality that most of the available opportunities require you to have years of practical experience. How do you get experience? Through the job that requires you to have years of experience to get it.

This is the vicious circle that young people encountered and are still encountering when they enter the labour market, so they feel that the world has closed its doors.
Young people face – three times more than their elders – the possibility of unemployment and disparity in opportunities in the labour market, and the offered jobs that are not up to their aspirations [3], it is estimated that youth employment declined globally by 8.7% in 2020 compared to 3.7% for adults. [4]

As for the Syrian youth, who has not recovered yet from the numerous effects of the war, they find themselves in front of jobs that are less than their ambitions and capabilities, with low wages which match neither the exerted efforts nor the living conditions in their country. So, they migrate searching for more opportunities abroad, and their countries lose indispensable experiences and skills.

Unemployment, depression, low income, and the gap between the acquired theoretical experiences and the required practical experiences; are all those obstacles that stand in the way of the youth and prevent them from reaching the future they dream of, and many others.
Therefore, it has been essential to have the World Youth Skills Day in order to celebrate all young people who face many obstacles in securing their employment opportunities.

The suffering of women in the labour market

Women in this world suffer in many aspects; the labour market was not an exception to them. Despite the efforts exerted to achieve justice for women in this society, the statistics indicate that the participation of women in the global workforce stood at 48.5% in 2018, 26.5% below that of their male counterparts. In addition, the global unemployment rate for women in 2018 increased by about 0.8% higher than that for men. Altogether, for every 10 men in a job, only six women are employed. [5]

In front of these figures, I leave you to imagine the length of the journey and the hardship that the fresh female graduates still face in order to find their place in the labour market. In addition to other phenomena, such as harassment in the workplace, the difficulty of finding a balance between work and home, society’s view of the working mother as a neglectful mother, and many other problems that women face.

How can we combat the obstacles to improving the youth situation?

The solutions to these problems are available in our hands, and they only require awareness of them and their importance. Let us start with raising the employers’ awareness to realise the necessity of employing young people, educating them and giving them the practical experience they need, as the future is in their hands. Just imagining for a moment that our future is falling into inexperienced hands, we will feel that our future is threatened.

In addition to technical and, vocational education and training can equip youth with the skills required to access the world of work. [4]
We must take into account the necessity of developing the educational system and content to suit the requirements of this age and keep pace with the rapid changes.

In addition to the importance of volunteer work during the academic years, the youth can acquire some practical experiences in all aspects; such as leadership, Time Management, cooperation and teamwork, in addition to helping the local community.
We can implement community projects and initiatives based on the potential of youth, to employ this potential towards building society, and we can hold conferences, scientific seminars and workshops to prepare young people for the future ahead of them.

Finally, in this world, we were brought up with the idea that the future will be for the following generation, and we must strive as hard as we can to leave this world better for them. But, when I live in this society, I wonder if those before me really did their best to leave me in this world? Is this the world after their attempts to leave it better for me and my generation, as we are the youth of this age?

We, at the Uplifting Syrian Women initiative, strive to assist young people to develop their skills, equip them with the required practical experience, and help them overcome the obstacles that the present has put in their way, to reach the future they deserve.

♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.

References:

[1] Quote Fancy

[2] E3arabi

[3] United Nations (LDC5)

[4] United Nations- World Youth Skills Day

[5] United Nations News

World Youth Skills Day Read More »

Asmahan

Woman of History: Asmahan

Woman of history /
Asmahan

Woman of History: Asmahan

The legend of the Arabic song Asmahan, is the soul whose earthly experience was not long, but whose voice remained a long-term memory. That voice which was and still is able to express what we hide in our hearts and the messages we carry in our minds has remained in order to remind us of the beauty, depth, and sophistication of the Arabic song.

A Glimpse Into the Life of Asmahan

Amal Fahd al-Atrash, Princess of Tarab, was born at sea and died by drowning. She was the only daughter who stayed alive in a family geographically dispersed in more than one country. Her family belongs to the Al-Atrash clan in Syria, among whom were men who played an important role in political life; such as Sultan Pasha Al-Atrash, the leader of the Syrian revolution against the French occupation. The family moved from Turkey to live in Syria, and during this journey, Asmahan was born on a ship in the Mediterranean.

The family settled in Jabal Al-Druze (Mount Al-Druze) in Syria until the outbreak of the Great Syrian Revolution and the prince joined the revolution. Her mother, Princess Alia Munther, was forced to leave Jabal al-Druze in Syria and travel with her children to Egypt. After the happy life that the family had in Jabal al-Druze, they suffered from misery and poverty in Egypt, which prompted the mother to work in monasteries and sing at private wedding parties to support and educate her three children. [1]

Asmahan’s Beginnings

Asmahan had no beginning, as she was created with a great voice; and its echo was deeply influential since her early childhood. She used to sing at home and at school, imitating Umm Kulthum and repeating the songs of Abdel Wahab and her brother Farid al-Atrash.

One day, her brother Farid received in their home the composer Dawood Hosni, one of the greatest musicians in Egypt, who overheard Asmahan’s voice while singing in her room. He insisted on seeing her immediately and asked her to sing again. He was impressed by the performance and said: “I was training a girl who was similar to you in beauty and voice, but she passed away before becoming famous, so I like to call you by her name Asmahan. [2]

Also read: Thuraya Al-Hafez.

Asmahan’s Achievements

Asmahan sang with her brother Farid in Mary Mansour’s Hall on Emad El Din Street, where she had previously experienced this with her mother at wedding parties and on local radio.
After that, she abandoned her musical career when she got married to her cousin, Prince Hassan Al-Atrash, who requested that when she moved to Syria. It did not take long for the Princess of Tarab to return to her musical career when she got divorced from her cousin, and then returned to Cairo.
The beauty of Asmahan and her great voice allowed her to enter the world of cinema. Her first movie was ‘Intisar Al-Shabab’ in 1941 with her brother Farid Al-Atrash, in which she sang “Eidy Fi Eidek Tssir” and many other songs.

After that, in 1944, she acted in her second and last movie, ‘Gharam W Intikam’, in which she recorded a collection of her most beautiful and most popular songs, such as: ‘Layali El-ons Fi Vienna’, in which she expressed, with the warmth of her voice, the magic of the moments that we enjoy in heaven when she sang ‘Loved ones are on both sides, What else remains for this to be the Heaven?’ She also sang ‘Emataa hataerif (When will you know?)’, ‘Ana Eli Estahel (I am the one who deserves)’, etc. Unfortunately, this film that presented us with Asmahan’s most beautiful songs marked the end of her life.

She recorded the song ‘Mahlaha Eishat El Falah’ in the movie ‘Yawm Saeid’, which was composed by Mohamed Abdel Wahab, who later recorded it with his voice. She also recorded the song ‘If Only Al Buraq Had an Eye’ in the movie ‘Laila Bint Al Sahraa’. Asmahan has sung with Mohamed Abdel Wahab in the operetta ‘Majnoun Laila’. She also sang many songs from Muhammad Al-Qasabji’s melodies, which are ‘Ya Toyor’, ‘Isqiniha’, ‘Kalema Ya Nur Al-Ain’, etc. [3]

Asmahan Series

Although her artistic career was not long, she remained present in the minds of the generations that came after her, as a television series on Asmahan’s life by Nabil Al-Maleh and directed by Tunisian director Shawki Al-Majri. The Syrian actress Sulaf Fawakherji played the role of Asmahan, Ahmed Shaker Abdel Latif as the role of Farid Al-Atrash, and Ward ALKhal as their mother. Some opinions were strongly opposed to the series, as it was considered to distort the biography of Asmahan and her image in the minds of her fans, and some of them considered the series to be close to the truth. [4]

Tales about Asmahan

There were some rumors about her work as a spy, but it is likely that she refused to continue performing the tasks assigned to her and retracted. It was also said that she loved extravagance, and she loved doing good as well.
Asmahan did not want to sing to earn money, but rather she sang for her sake, her mother’s sake, and the ones she loved. With her art, she was able to reach the feelings hidden in our chests, and her voice remained a legacy of the Arabic song.

♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.

References:

[1] ERTU

[2] Marefa

[3] Arageek

[4] Syrian Researcher

Woman of History: Asmahan Read More »

Women’s Employment

Social and Humanitarian Issues: Women’s Employment

Social and Humanitarian Issues /
Women’s Employment

Social and Humanitarian Issues: Women’s Employment

“I collect cardboard and plastic daily in order to provide a living for me and my child”
-Lamia Khaled.

This is the case of Lamia, the Syrian refugee in Turkey after her husband died and she remained the only provider for her son and the supervisor of his education. Despite all these circumstances, she did not take her son out of school for the sake of completing his education. No matter how difficult life became, her son’s learning was a priority for her. [1]

History of Women’s Employment

When reading ancient history, it became clear to us that the main occupation of humans then was only agriculture, and hard work was not limited to men only, in addition to caring for children and the house, women used to do required hard physical effort such as grinding grain, carrying firewood, drawing and carrying water. Women had no rest periods except at childbirth. This traditional role of the housewife continued throughout the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, with the presence of electrical energy and the invention of effort-saving devices that helped reduce the effort and exhaustion of the housewife such as washing machines and vacuum cleaners, but it only reduced the time it takes for women to do the housework.

In general, women’s jobs outside their homes were associated with their usual household chores, as many women who lost their family’s breadwinner used to work from inside their homes sewing clothes and selling them to shop owners or as housemaids for the rich; afterward, the social and economic developments helped change the nature of women’s work, the growth of education led to an increase in the demand for teachers, office work and sales agents; as employers found that they could hire women at lower wages than men considering that men were responsible for the maintenance of the family, while women in these jobs were mostly single women and therefore could be paid less. [2]

During the first and second world wars, women were recruited for voluntary or paid work in order to send men to the armed forces, which created new fields for women’s jobs such as ammunition factories, driving buses, and managing banks and offices, which helped societies accept the idea of women’s employment, but this negatively affected when the war ended and the men returned, as women continued to work alongside men but with lower wages, which led to decline women’s work a step back at that time. [3]

Women’s Employment Around the World

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasized the need to provide good quality jobs for all and social equality for all, with the aim of reducing poverty, achieving gender equality, and promoting economic growth in all countries, but this seems difficult to achieve because, despite the increase in the educational attainment rate of women compared to Men and the efforts of countries and the United Nations to achieve this, many women around the world are still in the midst of suffering when starting their professional or practical path, starting from the difficulty of finding a good quality job opportunity and the transition to income inequality with men, which negatively affects women’s economic life. [4; p.1]

Statistics published in 2018 indicated that the female labour force participation rate of 48.5% in 2018 is still 26.5 (percentage points) lower than the male participation rate, in addition to that for every ten working men there are only six women working. Women face major gaps in the quality of the professions they practice, as the percentage of women working in family businesses is still more than twice that of men, and working conditions are often characterized by weakness and fragility, as there are no written work contracts and lack of respect for labor laws, in addition to the small number of women in managerial positions due to obstacles in the labour market Women are prevented from working in managerial positions. [5]

Perhaps the problem of the Taliban’s control of leadership and governance in Afghanistan is one of the biggest problems in this regard around the world, and after Afghan women were able to increase their academic experiences and enter the labour market and politics during the past two decades, the Taliban movement’s control of the country came in an attempt to abolish everything the Afghan women achieved, they prevented Afghan women from working and getting into taxis without a man with them, and many female teachers were dismissed from schools. [6]

Women’s Employment in the Arab Countries

As for Arab countries, what makes the work conditions of women most difficult is the prevalent social thinking that women are not entitled to work; there’s also the problem of harassment that may prevent many women from their dreams and desires for life, in addition to the fact that the burdens of caring for children and the elderly often fall on women. Despite some progress in education enrollment rates, women’s enrollment in science, engineering, and mathematics fields that provide higher-paying jobs is still lower, despite female excellence in education in general, which led to reinforcing that women get low-income jobs and increase the wage discrimination gap by gender. [7]

Also read: Honour Crime.

Women’s Employment in Syria and the Effects of War

The war has burdened the Syrian woman with great concerns and burdens and blew up all her dreams of a beautiful life. Many Syrian women have taken the role of a father and breadwinner outside the home, in addition to their main roles in caring for the home and taking care of children, the Syrian woman has floundered between her desires to pay attention to her children and to take care of their upbringing and studies; the issue does not stop here, as when a woman chooses a job to work with, the first thing she thinks about is who will take care of the children during her absence, especially if her husband or breadwinner is not present, which increases the burden on her; this made many Syrian women work in bad conditions and limited income just to demand what is enough to live and sustain life. Statistics indicate that the female labor force is 4 times that of men in Syria, and the crisis has forced Syrian women to try all kinds of professions, including construction, electricity, health care supply, and driving, in addition to previous work such as sewing, farming, and education. [8]

The problem of war and displacement in Syria did not only affect women but extended to include Syrian girls who were forced to marry out of fear of circumstances and in an effort to relieve the financial burdens on their families, even if the person does not match the girl’s age and intellectual qualifications, in addition to the increase in the rate of underage marriages and the high school dropout for girls as a result of fear for them. [9]

In conclusion, our initiative sees this problem as a great challenge, and all segments of society must cooperate together in order to help women overcome these circumstances of war that faced everyone, and this is what the initiative sought by providing workshops and training courses in many fields to help Syrian women find a job opportunity that brings her a decent living and an income that secures her basic needs.

♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.

References:

[1] AJ+

[2] Britannica

[3] Future of Work Hub

[4] International Labour Organization-PDF

[5] International Labour Organization

[6] France 24

[7] Albank Aldawli

[8] Syrian Women for Democracy

[9] Suwar Magazine

Social and Humanitarian Issues: Women’s Employment Read More »

Sustainable Development Goal 10

Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequality Within and Among Countries

Sustainable Development /
Sustainable Development Goal 10

Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequality Within and Among Countries

Goal 10 of the Sustainable Development Goals calls for equality within and among countries. As we have seen in the rest of the Sustainable Development Goals, all goals are fixed to serve one interest; achieving international peace and security.

“A nation will not survive morally or economically when so few have so much, while so many have so little”
-Bernie Sanders. [1]

What is the tenth Sustainable Development Goal?

Goal 10 seeks to reduce inequality among and within countries; inequality in income and wages, inequalities related to age, gender, disability, race, origin, religion, economic status, or any other status within a country. This goal addresses inequalities among countries including representation, migration, and development assistance-related inequalities. [2]

Despite all international efforts made to save people from poverty and the remarkable progress in this regard, there are still many countries and societies that still suffer from poverty and the difficulty of securing health supplies, quality education, and other elements of development, which means the persistence of inequality on a large scale, thereby confirming the need for this goal.

What are the Targets of the tenth Goal?

This goal includes ten targets, of which:

  • By 2030, gradually achieve and sustain income growth for the bottom 40% of the population at a rate higher than the national average.
  • Ensure equal opportunities and reduce inequality of outcomes, by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and procedures in this regard.
  • Improve the regulation and monitoring of global financial markets and institutions and strengthen the implementation of such regulations.
  • Ensure enhanced representation and voice of developing countries in decision-making in international economic and financial institutions in order to provide more effective, credible, accountable, and legitimate institutions.
  • Facilitate orderly, safe, and responsible migration and mobility of people, by implementing planned and well-managed migration policies. [3]

Also read: Sustainable Development Goal 9.

What Can Be Done to Achieve the tenth Goal?

To reduce inequality, we must first understand its causes and consequences, which can be complex and deeply rooted in social, economic, political, and environmental systems and resources. Therefore, the approach of the European Union is multifaceted. It supports and advocates for actions that:

  • Empower women and create opportunities for youth and disadvantaged communities.
  • Increase economic inclusion and create decent work and higher income.
  • Strengthen social services and ensure access to social protection.
  • Facilitate safe migration and movement and tackle irregular migration.
  • Promote pro-poor financial policies and develop fair and clear tax systems.
  • Encourage local resources and stimulate the development of the public and private sectors. [4]

By taking and achieving these seemingly simple measures, which require a lot of work and years of planning and implementation, equality can be achieved on a large scale in societies. To achieve equality among countries, measures such as securing better education in different countries, providing subsidies, increasing incentives for innovation, and improving trade policies can be taken.

It is worth noting that the world was making remarkable progress towards achieving the tenth Goal, but the Corona pandemic has significantly hindered this. Because of the pandemic, movement and migration were adversely affected through closure measures with great human and economic costs, and the epidemic also caused an economic crisis of great proportions with an Increasing impact on developing countries has put a large number of people in poverty, for the first time in three decades poverty is increasing. The economic consequences are also large and widespread, affecting all areas of the economy, including capital flows, business operations, employment, and jobs. [5]

We still have a lot to recover from the effects of the pandemic, but we hope that this will not stand in the way of achieving the sustainable development goals by 2030, and there are many international efforts to do so.

Also read: Sustainable Development Goal 8.

What is the Relationship Between this Goal and the Rest of the Sustainable Development Goals?

Goal 10 is closely linked with all other Sustainable Development Goals, such as the Eradication of Poverty and Hunger (Goals 1 and 2), Good Health and Well-Being (Goal 3), Quality Education (Goal 4), Gender Equality (Goal 5), and Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), Resilient Infrastructure and Inclusive Industrialization (SDG 9) as well as more Inclusive Cities (SDG 11)  and Sustainable Ecosystems (SDG 15). [4]
This confirms that all Sustainable Development Goals are aimed at one greater goal;  to secure developed and balanced societies for current and future generations.

We, at Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative, are trying our best not to leave anyone behind and to provide help in all possible ways in an attempt to reduce the various inequalities in our society.
Let’s all try to reduce inequality too by spreading awareness and helping out however we can.

♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.

References:

[1] Bernie Sanders

[2] United Nations- OOSA

[3] SDG Tracker

[4] European Commission

[5] Springer Link

Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequality Within and Among Countries Read More »

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Psychological Health /
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Do you remember that accident you survived a while ago? If you have actually survived, because if you are still stuck in it, and the details of the painful experience – whatever kind – are still hunting you from time to time with the same feelings, panic, and accompanying disturbances, forcing you to run away from everything connected with it. Therefore, you haven’t survived yet, and that is known scientifically as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

It is one of the anxiety disorders and is caused by stressful or frightening events that a person may experience. These symptoms are often severe and persistent enough to affect a person’s day-to-day life. (more than 4 weeks). [1]

Causes of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Any situation that a person finds traumatic can cause PTSD, mostly including serious road accidents, violent assaults, illnesses, serious health problems, and childbirth experiences. [1]
In addition to wars, natural disasters, terrorism, and witnessing violence and death. [2]
The disorder can develop immediately after a person experiences a disturbing event, or the symptoms can take a few weeks, months, or even years to start appearing. [1]

Also read: What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

 Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Someone with PTSD often relives the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks and may experience feelings of isolation, irritability, and guilt. The person may also have difficulty concentrating and sleep problems such as insomnia and nightmares.[1] The person with PTSD may also have suicidal thoughts and panic attacks. [2]

Sometimes these symptoms show up as a result of long-term exposure to traumatic situations، not only a specific single event, which is known as ‘Complex Traumatic Stress Disorder’, and it is caused by repeated exposure to traumatic situations such as severe neglect, abuse, and violence, and can cause similar symptoms to PTSD and may not develop until years after the event. It’s often more severe if the trauma was experienced early in life, as this can affect a child’s development. [1]

It is estimated that PTSD affects about 1 in 3 people who have previously experienced a traumatic experience, but the reasons, which are developing in some people and not others, are still not completely clear, although there are some possible risk factors that increase the incidence of this disorder, among which are: having a history of mental health disorders such as panic disorder, depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder, not receiving enough support from family and the surrounding community after experiencing a traumatic event. In addition, the brain structure and hormones may play a role in the development of PTSD. [2]

How is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder treated?

Fortunately, PTSD can be successfully treated, even when it develops many years after the traumatic event, and the treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms and their duration. First, the symptoms are monitored to see whether they improve or get worse without treatment, then Pharmacotherapy comes; such as antidepressants, and psychological therapies such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). [1]

It must be noted that there are some “resilience factors” that may make PTSD less likely to occur, including having a strong support network, learning positive coping strategies to process negative emotions, and feeling good about the actions you took when you experienced the traumatic event. [2]

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Syria

Ten years of ongoing conflict and wars that have killed thousands of people and caused the displacement of millions, must lead to serious psychological problems that can’t be easily overcome. The British organization “Syria Relief” conducted a survey on 721 Syrian young men and women in Lebanon, Turkey, and the province of Idlib in northern Syria. The conclusion was that 75 percent of them suffer from at least seven symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The psychotherapist and Dr. Jida al-Hakim commented on saying: that it is ‘not strange’ the fact that a ‘large part’ of Syrians suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after ten years of war, because the disorder may show up many years after experiencing the trauma. [4]

We, Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative, stress the importance of raising awareness of this disorder, especially after many years of war in Syria, which can cause all kinds of trauma, including assault, terrorism, witnessing violence, and death. We also note that women are more likely to suffer from this disorder than men, as one in 10 women develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. [3]

♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.

References:

[1] NHS

[2] Health Line

[3] OWH

[4] BBC News

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Read More »

Sustainable Development Goal 9

Sustainable Development Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Sustainable Development /
Sustainable Development Goal 9

Sustainable Development Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

The sustainable development goals were created to solve crises and invent solutions to global problems facing the planet. Whether these problems are social, economic, or cultural. The ninth goal of the development goals focuses on bringing about change in the world of innovation and industry.

The Ninth Sustainable Development Goal

Infrastructure is the cornerstone and the basis of the economy in any society and its presence is a prerequisite for achieving all sustainable development goals. [1]
Because more than half of the world’s population today lives in cities, investment in infrastructure is very necessary [2]. i.e. investment in transport, irrigation, energy, information, and communication technology. [3]

Also, technological progress is essential to finding lasting solutions to economic and environmental challenges, such as increasing resources and enhancing energy efficiency [4], as well as providing new job opportunities. Promoting sustainable industries, and investing in scientific research and innovation are all important ways to promote sustainable development. [2]

Also read: Sustainable Development Goal 7.

Targets of the Ninth Sustainable Development Goal

  • First, build good quality, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and cross-border infrastructure.
  • Second, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization. A significant increase by 2030 in industry, employment, and the gross domestic product, doubling the above in the least developed countries.
  • Third, increasing the opportunities for small-scale industrial enterprises and other projects – especially in developing countries – to access financial services.
  • Fourth, improving infrastructure and modernizing industries by 2030 in order to achieve their sustainability. In addition to increasing resource use efficiency, and increasing adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.
  • Fifthly, strengthening scientific research and improving technological capabilities in industrial sectors in all countries, especially developing countries.
  • Sixth, facilitating the development of sustainable and resilient infrastructure in developing countries; by improving the financial, technological, and technical support provided to it.
  • Seventh, support the development of domestic technology, research, and innovation in developing countries.
  • Eighth, to significantly increase access to information and communication technology, and to provide opportunities for universal and affordable access to the Internet in the least developed countries. [4]

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

Global manufacturing growth has declined steadily, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic hit manufacturing hard and caused disruptions in global value chains and product supply.
ICT was on the front lines of the COVID-19 response. Which has accelerated the digitization of many companies and services. For example, telework and video conferencing systems inside and outside the workplace, as well as access to health care, education, basic goods, and services.

The pandemic has changed the way we work, live, and adapt many people to this change. But the pandemic has highlighted a significant digital gap, with 6.3 billion people still offline. They are also unable to access online education, employment, or important health, and sanitation advice. The 2020 Sustainable Development Finance Report provides political options to harness the potential of digital technologies.
Once the acute phase of the COVID-19 crisis is over, governments will need more infrastructure investment than ever before to accelerate economic recovery, create jobs, reduce poverty and stimulate productive investment.

The World Bank estimates that developing countries need to invest about 54% of their GDP to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals while limiting global warming by only 2 °C. [4]

Also read: Sustainable Development Goal 8.

Facts and Figures

  • More than 4 billion people do not have access to the Internet (90% of them are in developing cities).
  • 2.3 billion people lack access to basic sanitation.
  • In some low-income African countries, infrastructure constraints have reduced corporate productivity by nearly 40%.
  • 2.6 billion people in developing countries do not have access to constant electricity.
  • The renewable energy sector currently employs more than 2.3 million people, and the number could reach 20 million by 2030.
  • In developing countries, 30% of agricultural products undergo industrial processing, compared to 98% in high-income countries. [2]
  • 16% of the world’s population lacks mobile broadband networks.
  • The share of investment in research and development as a percentage of GDP increased from 5.1% in 2000 to 7.1% in 2015 and remained almost unchanged in 2017, but it was less than 1% only in developing regions. [4]

The Role of UNCITRAL

The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) supports the SDGs. UNCITRAL’s contribution to achieving the SDGs continues on several fronts and touches on a number of different and interrelated areas.
UNCITRAL works to promote many actions in various fields; such as commercial dispute resolution, e-commerce, privately financed infrastructure projects, and many more; These works aim to simplify the process of establishing small-scale projects and facilitate their work. Such as facilitating access to secured credit and benefiting from dispute settlement mechanisms. As well as providing legal frameworks for regulating international sales deals, and simplifying the procedures available to face financial hardships. [1]

♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.

References:

[1] United Nations

[2] UNDP

[3] ESCWA

[4] United Nations- Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure Read More »

Sustainable Development Goal 8

Sustainable Development Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Sustainable Development /
Sustainable Development Goal 8

Sustainable Development Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

“Through job creation, quality public services and better working conditions, people, communities and countries can lift themselves out of poverty, improve livelihoods, engage in local development and live together in peace. This happens only when work is decent- environmentally sound and productive- provides fair wages, and is underpinned by rights.” [1]
-Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation and former president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

The Reason Behind the Eighth Sustainable Development Goal

Tens of millions of people around the world still do not have access to employment. [2]
According to the statistics of the United Nations Development Program:

  • An estimated 172 million people around the world were unemployed in 2018- an unemployment rate of 5%.
  • Around 700 million workers lived in extreme or moderate poverty in 2018, with less than 3.20US$ per day. [3]

The Importance of Decent Work and Economic Growth

Sustainable Development Goals urge for steady economic growth, productivity and technology creativity levels increase. Sustainable Development Goal 8 seeks to: “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.”

For the International Labour Organization (ILO) Goal 8 includes the following priorities:

  • Full and productive employment and decent work.
  • The gender pay gap youth unemployment.
  • Ending all forms of child labour formalizing the informal economy
  • Entrepreneurship and micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.
  • Protecting labour rights and promoting safe, secure working environments.
  • Migrant workers. [4]

Also read: Sustainable Development Goal 6.

The Positive Effects of Economic Growth on Individuals and Society

High economic growth leads to an increase in companies’ profits, which allows for more spending on research and development. This can lead to technological developments that would remove obstacles in many fields, for example; medical field improvements and more eco-friendly technologies development. In addition, sustainable economic growth increases trust and encourages companies to innovate and take risks. It was not a coincidence that the global economy witnessed the worst case of unemployment during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Unemployment is highly dependent on economic activity; in fact, growth and unemployment can be thought of as two sides of the same coin: when economic activity is high, it leads to more overall production, and more people are needed to produce higher amounts of products and services. When economic activity is low, firms cut jobs and unemployment rises.
In that sense, unemployment is countercyclical, meaning that it rises when economic growth is low and vice versa. [5]

The Negative Effects of Unemployment on the Youth and Society

According to a 2020 report from the International Labour Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, the global youth unemployment rate is 13.6%. The contributing factors to this high rate of global youth unemployment are mostly the lack of job opportunities but also include barriers to entering the labour market, such as the limited work experience and the increasing size of the population- worldwide, there are approximately 1.3 billion young people between the ages of 15 and 24.

A large number of unemployed youth can have a negative effect on the economic growth and development of society. If youth unemployment was left without deterrence, it can lead to adverse social consequences, as unemployed youth tend to feel neglected, which leads to social elimination, anxiety and lack of hope for the future.

Given that almost 90% of all young people live in low-income countries, not feeling that a better life is possible can result in millions of young people stumbling in poverty and frustration- bringing fragile countries down with them. [6]

Also read: Sustainable Development Goal 7.

The Importance of Decent Work

While unemployment is a negative experience nearly all over the world, therefore, it is associated with negative effects, especially poor mental health outcomes, but employment can be positive or negative, depending on the nature of the job (e.g. stability, stress, work hours, salary, etc.).

Studies on work and health found that the quality and stability of work are key factors in the work-health relationship: research found that low quality, unstable or low-paid jobs lead to or are associated with adverse effects on health. Therefore, combating unemployment alone is not enough; rather, providing decent work for all as well. [7]

The Positive Effects of Decent Work

Having a job provides you with many benefits, most clearly: income.
Being employed gives the person a sense of purpose, routine and a reason to get out of bed in the morning. It also enhances social relationships and delivers a sense of accomplishment. [8]

There are several studies that show links between quality of work and health. These studies found that those who occupy higher positions were less likely to die of heart disease than those in lower positions. It is thought that those in higher positions are able to make meaningful decisions in their work and have a greater level of control in their life. This seems to have a protective effect on their health.

We also know that income and social status, often defined by the jobs we have, are closely linked to health outcomes. All evidence indicates that good work is crucial in promoting health. [9]

Women’s Situation in the Labour Market

According to UNDP statistics, women’s participation in the labour force was 48% in 2018, compared with 75% for men. Around 3 in 5 of the 3.5 billion people in the labour force in 2018 were men. [3]

Even if more women participate in the labour market, the burden of private and care responsibilities, the unpaid work, still rests largely on their backs.
Women’s increase in working hours doesn’t automatically lead to a more balanced sharing of domestic and caregiving work between women and men. Overall, women work more when combining the amount of time dedicated to unpaid labour (day-to-day, domestic duties, including care), personal activities and leisure time.

Women are increasingly well qualified: more women than men graduate from universities in Europe. However, many women don’t feel as free in their choice of jobs or do not get the same job opportunities as men. This is often due to their responsibilities as a parent or as a carer of family relatives. For the same reason, women are more likely than men to work part-time jobs.

Work is the best way to empower women economically. It is therefore necessary to increase women’s labour market participation. [10]
Our initiative seeks to achieve the eighth Sustainable Development Goal by providing the youth with training courses that allow them to enter the labour market and succeed in educational attainment. The focus on women is greater in an attempt to bridge the gender gap in the labour market.

♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.

References:

[1] Inspiringquotes.us

[2] France Diplomacy

[3] UNDP

[4] United Nations

[5] International Monetary Fund

[6] Mercy Crops

[7] Kaiser Family Foundation

[8] Future Learn

[9] The Health Foundation

[10] European Commission

Sustainable Development Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth Read More »

Rouaa Hamze

Success Story: Rouaa Hamze

Success Story /
Rouaa Hamze

Success Story: Rouaa Hamze

“From Pain comes Hope” With this line Rouaa Hamze, our Syrian hero of this day, summarized her success story and said, “In order to leave a mark in this life; we must be driven by passion and in our hands is the message that we aim to deliver in our own unique way.”

Rouaa is the life-loving and optimistic better tomorrow girl, as every girl is sometimes owned by the rush and irritability, but before long she comes back to take off with persistence, confidence, and steady steps on her path to climb the ladder of success.

Rouaa chose to leave her mark in the field of media presentation with all she has of sensations and feelings to share them with people, and to leave a positive mark in the hearts of every person in need of a hope boost, and encourage them to move forward in their own path.

Her passion for the media has accompanied her since childhood, but unfortunately, she couldn’t enter this field academically because of a medical error that she endured in 2010, and this mistake has ensured to make her feel desperate and at distance from her dreams and life wishes; but with her family’s support and with the will and belief inside our hero; she decided to start over.

At the beginning of the year 2011, she decided to study business administration because it fits her health condition, and the site of the university was close to her home region. Since Syria has overgone a war and Rouaa’s house was far away from the city center and since business administration wasn’t her desire or ambition؛ she studied for one year in the field business administration and quit at the beginning of the year 2012.

But that didn’t stop her from moving towards her dream no matter how far away it was; so in the year 2013 she was one of the founders of a project designed for people of determination in (Sahnaya) region, the project was under the name (It’s their right for us to stand beside them) and it was called (The Saturday of Hope): an educational entertaining project, it provides entertainment services and physical therapy. She continued in this project for an interval of 7 years; during this period, she contributed to the training on how to deal with people with determination in the center (Whisper for the childhood), to get later experience certificates from the center (Whisper for the childhood) and the initiative (The Saturday of Hope).

In 2016; an initiative called (Peace Lens) provided chances to train in the field of journalism, media, creating movies, and photography, Rouaa was one of the first in the journalism and media field, and that’s where her dream started to come true, when she was granted a chance of a broadcast training in the broadcast (Sham FM) she learned the principles of editing and received a certificate of experience for one month and a half, she then worked in electronic websites. In the year 2019; she moved to work in a visual program that was the first of its kind with the teacher (Maher Chabana), the program (Keys for ambitions) on the social media platforms shines a light on the creativity of people of determination, their success, the obstacles they went through and the solutions; the program spread locally, for Arabs and internationally.

She continued until 2020 when the real opportunity came to officially join the media field on Radio (Farah FM) with her colleague (Elyssar Ahmed) in the first program to implement the concept of integration in the field of Syrian media for two seasons in a row in the program ( Maybe Something will Change). And recently, in 2021, she started her own program (Taa Marbouta), a feminist social program on (Farah FM) radio; It is a program that talks about empowering Syrian women and shines a light on their concerns and their problems.

Rouaa went through many obstacles that determined people go through, beginning with the unserved infrastructure, not having electric elevators or “ramps” to facilitate her work, and the social culture of lack of acceptance and unfair prejudgement of determined people؛ all of this was standing between their participating in activities; in addition to the imbalance of professional and educational opportunities, and many other problems and obstacles.

Rouaa has faced many difficulties when she was exposed to a medical error in addition to her adapting to a wheelchair, but she insisted to continue to move forward with determination and belief in herself and her ability, develop her personality, impose her presence and opinions, and that no obstacle would stand in her way, as she said: “It is very difficult to accept that you are in full health, and suddenly you see yourself as a burden on others, but with thanks to Allah in the first place, my family and my close friends, I am now able to overcome all circumstances.”

Rouaa had a fundamental supporter, her family; she was able to do many things, and she did not give up, Instead, she insisted and moved on her way; but every person needs support, especially young men and women with determination to be able to create success; and happiness, optimism and hope start from within the person himself, this is how Rouaa believes, and this is what she would like to share with simple words to spread her experience, perhaps give hope and be a support for someone. In Rouaa’s opinion: “A successful person is not satisfied with thinking of solutions and overcoming obstacles, but rather tries to learn from the lessons and experiences they went through to create achievements, and become a source of inspiration, motivation, and strength for others. They are never satisfied, and continue with their generosity, passion, and ambition.”

Rouaa continues to set goals on her path and continue to progress towards them, by developing herself and her capabilities, to engaging in more new and distinctive experiences; her dreams know no limits, and her biggest and most important dream is healing.

Rouaa promised us and everyone who loves her of beautiful upcoming work that she will work on soon. In the end, Rouaa thanked the initiative for her interview, and for choosing her to be one of the success stories, so that she could share her experience to spread hope and love. She wished success and brilliance for the initiative because of its role in advancing women and enhancing their position and role in society.

Also read: Woman of History- Thuraya Al-Hafez.

♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.

Success Story: Rouaa Hamze Read More »

Honour Crime

Honour Crime- There Is No Honour In Crime

Social and Humanitarian Issues /

Honour Crime - There Is No Honour In Crime

“People do not interfere when it comes to the so-called honour killing, because they believe that women are a private property for men and for the family, and there is a permissiveness and violent societal complicity with this idea.”
-Lawyer Azza Soliman, president of the Board of Trustees of the Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance. [1]

Honour crimes gather everything women fought throughout history, including extreme injustice against women, unfairness in ruling and punishment, community silence on the usurpation of rights, and unjust patriarchal laws that do not support women’s rights. In this article, we will shed a light on some aspects of this issue, hoping to give you the momentum to eradicate this social phenomenon.

The Concept of Honour Crimes

The term “honour crime” is used to describe the crime committed by the male against the female under the pretext of defending the honour of the family, or his own. This male is often a relative of the female, but some cases were recorded in which there was no connection between the perpetrator and the victim, and suspicion of honour piercing is enough to be the trigger for this crime.

In most cases, the shame is “washed away” at the woman’s expense only, without causing any harm to her supposed partner-in-crime. The method of killing differs between slaughtering or strangling, shooting, and other heinous means such as burying alive or stoning, and the crime may be committed openly in front of people’s eyes or it can happen secretly and keep under wraps.

Also read: What is homelessness and how can it be limited?

The Reason Behind the Naming of the Crime

The duels that happened between two men and often ended in the death of one of them aimed at defending honour, and the crime of killing a woman out of moral motive represented the safe alternative to defending honour. [1]
Honour, according to several sources: is the individual’s social status and the respect they enjoy, including qualities such as moral nobility, keeping promises, keeping covenants, defending the weak, and preserving the dignity of the country and servants.

This word has a strong impact on the souls in all societies, especially the Eastern ones, and as evidence of the effect of the term “honour crime,” we note that bystanders do not interfere when an honour crime is committed publicly once the offender declares that the motive is “honour,” even if the victim is a male.
In these cases, we note a broad social acceptance that sometimes extends to include state agencies, and the penal laws in some Arab countries still grant a lenient sentence to perpetrators of honour crimes. [1]

The Role of Syrian Women in Combating Honour Killings

In Syria, the majority of efforts to combat this type of crime were focused on the legal side, and Rima Fleihan, a human rights activist, indicated that the law facilitates the commission of crimes of this kind, while benefiting from the mitigation of the sentence. In 2005, the Syrian Women’s Observatory launched a campaign against honour killings with the aim of repealing Article 548 of the Syrian Penal Code and treating killers with this excuse – the honour excuse – as killers with any other excuse, without the possibility of prior benefit from this law. [2]

To clarify; this is an excerpt from Article 548, which states that “the perpetrator of murder or injury benefits from a mitigating excuse if he surprises his spouse, one of his ascendants, or descendants in a suspicious situation with another.” Thanks to continuous Syrian efforts, conferences and repeated campaigns, Law No. 2 was issued in 2020 to abolish Article 548 of the Syrian Penal Code. [3]
Efforts are still ongoing to counter this social acceptance and the prevailing cultural custom of the permissibility of this type of violence applied to women.

The Importance of Discontinuing the Term “Honour” to Justify Femicides

Amending the laws and regulations that protect the perpetrator in such crimes is an indispensable step on the way to eliminating this phenomenon, but it alone is not enough, because honour as a concept has a very dear place among members of society, which made it the easiest accusation under which many crimes against women are committed. Therefore, it is necessary to separate them, in order to avoid social acceptance of crimes that are disguised under the pretext of dishonour washing.

It is even more necessary when crimes are committed based on suspicion only, under the slogan “Kill her then confirm” [1], especially during the current era with the availability of technology means that, despite its many benefits, can be used to discredit an innocent girl, which leads her life within in such societies, that are still receptive to the crime of shame washing, to an end.
Murder is a crime that has its elements such as the offender, the victim, the motive, the trial, and the punishment. Here we pause and ask ourselves: When it is the case of a female victim and the apparent motive is an honour, why would the rules of the trial and the punishment change? and instead of punishing the offender, his courage for washing away his shame would be praised?

In conclusion, we, at Uplifting Syrian Woman Initiative, seek to create a safe space for women to express their problems and offer the best solution available, that is why we encourage women and girls who are subjected to any kind of threat or injustice to benefit from the services provided by our initiative, hoping that we, as women, could live safely within this society.

♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.

References:

[1] BBC News

[2] Syrian Women Organization

[3] SANA

Honour Crime- There Is No Honour In Crime Read More »