Press release
Syrian Coalition
Media Department
March 8, 2018
On behalf of the Syrian people, the Syrian Coalition, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, extends its deep respect and appreciation to Syrian women for their pivotal role as well as the enormous efforts Syrian mothers and young women have exerted in Syria’s past and present, be it in times of war and peace or before and after the revolution.
Syrian women are a main component of the Syrian society. By virtue of their creativity and wisdom, they will be able to live through the hardships as they did every time before. They will also be able to uphold the values ​​of truth, right, freedom and justice, and then participate in building a future that is worthy of humanity.
Syrian women deserve all praise, respect, and appreciation for the immense sacrifices they have made throughout the Syrian revolution as they have been at the forefront of demonstrations calling for freedom. The unspeakable suffering Syrian women have been enduring since March 2011 as result of murder, displacement, detention, enforced disappearance and torture at the hands of the Assad regime are proof of the important role they are playing. This suffering exposed the failure of international institutions to protect Syrian men and women and to assume their responsibilities to maintain peace and security and protect human life.
According to figures compiled by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) in a special report on casualties among Syrian women, at least 21,600 women and young girls were killed in the period between March 2011 and March 2018. No fewer than 8,113 others are still detained in the prisons of the Assad regime, including young girls. The Network also documented the deaths of 43 women under brutal torture in Assad’s prisons.
The report indicated that regime forces are using sexual violence as a weapon of warfare. The Network said it had documented at least 7,699 cases of sexual violence, some of which affected girls under the age of 18 years old causing dire consequences and deep psychological impact.
There is no doubt that the real figures are much larger as the cases that were documented are just a fraction of the violations that the Assad regime and its backers are committing against the Syrian people.
These crimes must be brought to an end. They must be documented and their perpetrators must be held accountable. All necessary measures must be taken to put an end to the tragedy Syrian women and civilians in Syria and elsewhere are going through.
Thanks to the infinite patience they are showing and unshakeable determination to achieve victory, Syrian women still provide an excellent example for the resilience and steadfastness being shown by the Syrian people. Every role Syrian women have played has had an incalculable value that no one can deny.
The Syrian Coalition greets the Syrian women on this occasion as it stresses the importance of their pivotal role in lighting the way of the revolution. The Coalition also stresses the importance of ensuring that Syrian women are given the chance to participate in the political action and have a place in all institutions of the revolution.
We urge the great women of Syria to seek more involvement in the revolution at all levels. It is vital to break all barriers hindering their full participation in building Syria’s present and future in a way that suits their status throughout history.
May Syrian women remain fine, free and dignified.
May our wounded recover, our detainees be free, and our fallen heroes rest in peace.
Long live Syria and the Syrian people, free, and with honor.
