HASAN IBRAHIM BELAL | WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN SYRIA

WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN SYRIA
By Hasan Ibrahim Belal

Many Syrians faced many problems after the war and lived with difficult situations, epically in winter. Rana is 30 years old from Daraa in the southern area of Damascus. She paused in front of her tent and said: Take a photo of me, please, because I’m pregnant and want to show it to my new baby.”
I took this photo in a need assessment field visit with UNICEF to give winter aid to the families in the southern area of Damascus Jan 2021.

“It is not easy to cover the refugees’ lives, especially if they are Syrians like me; I’m lucky not to lose my home or one of my family members.
Women in our Arab country, Syria, have endured a lot of pressure. Whether from the surrounding society, religion or primarily because of the last war in Syria. Most women were forced to reduce their work activity and mainly work inside their homes. They had to give up and dispense many of their rights to secure their families with the hope of a better future. They live for their children. I can only respect this thing, and I am happy to be part of this work that sheds light on this group of society.” – Hasan Ibrahim Belal

While Syria has developed some reasonably secular features during independence in the second half of the 20th century, personal status law is still based on Sharia and applied by Sharia Courts. Syria has a dual legal system that includes both secular and religious courts. Marriage contracts are between the groom and the bride’s father, and Syrian law does not recognize the concept of marital rape.
Syrian women are legally allowed to participate in everyday life, although they are not guaranteed a spot in being part of political, social, cultural, and economic categories. In Syria, the legal marriage for females is seventeen years old and eighteen for males.

Women are technically allowed to have a say in the agreements between them and the groom. Although this contract has to be signed by the groom and the male guardian of the bride, her wishes are rarely met. On the other hand, in marriage, the divorce laws are unique in Syria. Women are, in fact, allowed to file for divorce, except it is a long, drawn-out process, and she must get consent from her husband. There are some circumstances where the woman can apply for a divorce through the judicial system. To do this, she must prove that her husband has abused her or neglected his other duties as a husband. If a man wants to divorce a woman, all he has to do is go to court and orally demand a divorce three times, then the court will order him a divorce.

Since the conflict erupted in 2011, women in Syria, namely in conflict zones, have been facing violence, sexual assault, forced displacement, detention, domestic violence, child marriage, and other violations of their rights.
During the years of conflict, insecurity and the economic collapse significantly increased the vulnerability of women and girls. In addition, many girls were left without schooling or access to healthcare services. The enrolment rate for primary education was 61% in 2013, with 61.1% of the total number being female, while for secondary education, the rate was 44% in 2013 – 43.8% for females.
In 2015, the United Nations gathered evidence of systematic sexual assault of women and girls by combatants in Syria, and this was escalated by the Islamic State (ISIL) and other terrorist organizations.

HASAN IBRAHIM BELAL

Hasan Ibrahim Belal, 28years old, graduated from economics university in Syria. He has been working as a photographer since 2010, with a particular interest in photojournalism and visual anthropology. Belal worked with many local and international agencies and NGOs in Syria, including UNICEF – ICRC – Caritas -NRC, and produced stories about life after war.
Belal got a grant with Thompson Reuters with “Dar-Al Mosawer” in Beirut to train photojournalism with a related exhibition.

See the full article in Lens Magazine Issue #99