THE STATUS OF WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS

DEFENDERS IN SYRIA ar.arabwomanmag.com Ref: التحالف اإلقليمي للمدافعات عن حقوق اإلنسان في شرق االوسط و شمال أفريقيا THE WHRD COALITION IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Researcher: Hana Farhat

Proofreading: Sawssan Abou Zahr Designer: Athar al-Aghar www.whrdmena.org www.facebook.com/whrdmena www.twitter.com/whrdmena Women Human Rights Defenders are at the forefront of the struggle to defend human rights in Syria. For six years, Syrian Women Human Rights Defenders have been actively involved in all

rights violations, participating in peace talks and running community initiatives. Yet Women Humanaspects Rightsof the on-going Defenders conflict. face many They abuses have been and threats,protesting, in addition delivering to beingaid, documenting actively excluded human

Women Human Rights Defenders at risk as they face the intersecting oppression of patriarchy from the transitional process, silenced and side-lined. The militarization of Syria has left many

and conflict-related gender based violence. are “women of all ages who engage in defence of all human rights and all people who engage inThe defence UN Resolution of rights onof womenWomen andHuman those Rights related Defenders to gender….. (WHRDs in addressing hereafter) all affirms forms thatof human WHRDs

access to justice, democracy and the full participation of women in society, tolerance, human dignityrights violations, and the right combating to development, impunity, …. fighting”1 poverty and discrimination, and promoting التحالف اإلقليمي للمدافعات عن حقوق اإلنسان في شرقاالوسط و شمال أفريقيا

seeks, in peaceful manners, to uphold human rights in her society, whether individually or as The WHRD-MENA Coalition’s definition of a WHRD is anyone “who promotes and incessantly violations and primary liberties for people and individuals.”2 toa member mainstream of an the organization idea of WHRDs of group, among as wellSyrian as activistscontributes both towards in Syria ending and in allthe human diaspora rights and As a Coalition, one of our aims is

refugee communities. The simultaneous conflicts, divisions and disconnections among regions coalition,and groups the due WHRDs, to these individuals conflicts meanand groups, that WHRDs can share are notinformation working andcollectively collaborate within to furtherthe region and there is little acknowledgment and communication between them. Through this

WHRDstheir work are efficiently. being attacked for both their work and their gender identity. WHRDs generally

dominatedfocuses on humanspheres rights, and standing and in being against in theall kinds public of sphere. human They rights are violations, seen as defying women social are being norms and threatening social structures. By challenging women’s roles, entering male- also targeted by religious extremists for “promoting Western values,” for example. Women additionallyattacked by bothrun the state risk and of non-statebeing pressured actors. byThey their can families be targeted and communities by the regime; to but cease they their are work as human rights defenders in the public sphere.

1. General Assembly Resolution 181/68, Promotion of the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of

30 181/68 January 2014 Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society181 to/ 68Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms: protecting women human rights defenders, A/RES/ ( ), 2 available from rom undocs.org/A/RES/ 3 online: http://whrdmena.org/english/about-us/ . Women Human Rights Defender in the Middle East and North Africa Coalitions’ definition. Available THE STATUS OF WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN SYRIA

communities in neighboring countries, including documenting crimes, torture, and arbitrary The Coalition strongly emphasizes the brave work of WHRDs in Syria and in the refugee detentions by the regime or extremist groups, and advocating for human rights. This research paper aims to highlight the situation of WHRDs in Syria. The paper will briefly look into the changing situation of WHRDs before the conflict and analyze the variety of issues they face in the partiescurrent involved,state of violence both state and and instability non-state in actors,Syria and armies in the and diaspora militias, community. have records The of multifaceted abuses againstnature of WHRDs. the conflict Additionally, means that WHRDs there face is no pressure one party from that their is responsible families and for communities, violations, but as all solidarity with WHRDs to support them by highlighting their efforts and shedding light on the violationswell as host against communities them, in outside line with Syria. its mission Taking thisof supporting into account, and the advocating Coalition for aims all toWHRDs work inin the region.

4 Ref: worldnews.com

THE CONFLICT IN SYRIA THE STATUS OF WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN SYRIA

250,000 persons since it began in 2011. democracyThe on-going and conflict human in rights, Syria hasand claimed an armed more civil than war between the government forces loyal to PresidentWhat started Bashar as a al-Assadpeaceful andprotest the turnedopposition. rapidly With into the a breakdownmilitarized repressionof the rule of law,a struggle armed for control parts of Syria committing many grave human rights abuses. Vested international interests Islamic non-state groups such as ISIS and al-Nusrahave have thrown managed Syria to into fill in further the vacuum chaos. and Firstly a de-facto international coalition—one that

others—ismakes informal focused allies on ofdefeating Assad, the ISIS United in Syria whileStates, it Russia, remains Iran, divided Turkey, on the Kurds,question and of

Bashar al-Assad. Secondly, foreign fighters are entering the country fighting for either regime.the oppositions Syria is not(the experiencing Free Syrian Army, a civil ISIS,war but aal-Nusra number and of interdependent other opposition wars. groups) or the

10 million people live underTerritorial their control control. in3 Syria has changed many times since the uprising. The largest non-state strictactor ISISSharia has governance seized large that parts strips of Syria the people and Iraq, who where live under as many it of as their basic human rights and Al-Raqqah is currently ISIS’s defacto city. ISIS have imposed authoritarian, independentviolently discriminates from the Syrian against government. religious minorities According that to aISIS truce deems between as ‘infidels’. the Syrian To theforces North and the where Syria borders Turkey, Kurdish controlled areas such as Hassakah4 and Kobani are now

Kurdish militia, «each side will keep the territory under its control.» amount to a series of crimes against humanity and human rights violations. Women in Syria are routinelyThe massive attacked, and systematic imprisoned violence and face perpetrated sexual assault by the in Syrian secret governmentdetention centres and non-state to curb their groups violations. work and silence their voices. Militias such as the Kurdish Militia also perpetrate human rights andThe otherSyrian armed Network opposition for Human groups. Rights5 (SNHR) has documented violence, including sexual assault womenagainst womenincluding at womenthe hands human of the rights government defenders. forces, opposition forces, ISIS, Kurdish fighters All parties of the conflict are guilty of violence against

3 25 July 2016. Accessed 3 Aug. 2016. Available from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east27838034- . «Islamic State Group: Crisis In Seven Charts - BBC News». BBC News. 4 23 April 2016. Accessed on 3 Aug. 2016 0XL0FH . “Kurdish Forces To Keep Areas Taken From Syrian Government Forces Truce». Reuters. 5. http://sn4.org.blog/25/11/2014 . Available from http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-qamashli-idUSKCN 6 /the-syrian-woman-in-the-midst-of-the-syrian-conflict/ Abuses by the regime against WHRDs include assassination, arbitrary detention, solitary

confinement, harassment, sexual violence, the halt of any humanitarian aid food and medical25 womenhealth, abductions6 and2014 forced-2011 disappearances.. Indiscriminate The shelling Syrian and Network extra judicial for Human killings Rights have has been documented that the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) forces have killed no less than from March womenused by livethe PYDin. For to maintainexample, controlan account in their of two areas women and asliving a direct under consequence ISIS explains of howthe conflict. women The tightening of womens rights in ISIS-controlled areas demonstrates the volatile environment the street alone as it is strictly prohibited.7 Punishments include slashing, stoning and even execution.must wear the double niqab (covering their face and eyes) and are not allowed to go out on

JordanSyrian WHRDsand Iraq, in leaves host communities WHRDs vulnerable also face to violations,gender-based threats violence. and difficulties WHRDs are as faced a result with of very their work. The lack of legal protection for refugees in neighboring Arab states, such as Lebanon, to. little alternatives; they are unsafe in their own country, and in host countries to which they flee التحالف اإلقليمي للمدافعات عن حقوق اإلنسان في شرقاالوسط و شمال أفريقيا

6 25 2015 http:// sn4.org.blog/25/11/2014 3 August 2016 7. The Syrian Network for Human Rights, The Syrian Woman in the Midst of the2016 Syrian Conflict, November /the-syrian-woman-in-the-midst-of-the-syrian-conflict/ (accessed29 July 2016 ) 7 . K. Hamadé, Women›s secret films from within closed city of Islamic State ( ). Available online:http://www.expressen. se/nyheter/womens-secret-films-from-within-closed-city-of-islamic-state/ (Accessed ) Ref: www.alamy.com

SYRIA BEFORE THE CONFLICT Before we document the extent of abuse, harassment and human rights violations WHRDs are currently experiencing, it must be noted that under the rule of Bashar Al-Assad and his father,

such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International8 Hafez-Al Assad before him, human rights violationsdisappearances have been have systemized. been used Various to silence organizations political dissent. In December have publicized 2009, Syrian these forcesabuses. arrested Forced the -19

year-old blogger Tal al-Mallohi because of America,the content and on sentenced her blog. Theher onSyrian February government 2011 ,15 to accused her of being9 a spy for the United States of cause and the right to freedom of speech on her five years in prison. Tal wrote about the Palestinian information was provided about her case and where sheblog. would The trial serve was her held prison behind sentence. closed doors and no

100,000 Since the beginning of the conflict, international debate on how to mediate the six year-old التحالف اإلقليمي للمدافعات عن حقوق اإلنسان في شرقاالوسط و شمال أفريقيا 2011conflict. Originally that has killedwomen over were not part people of the and peace displaced talks that millions is moderated more remains by the unabated.Arab League, The United Nations peace process has been working to find a solution to the conflict that began in late present at the Geneva I and Geneva II talks. the UN peace envoys on Syria, Russia and Western Powers. Syrian women peacemakers were not

formed in late 2015, consisting of 12 As a result of lobbying efforts by Syrian women’s groups, the Women’s Advisory Board was talks. However they do not participate Syrian in the women peace talks from and different their rolebackgrounds. is purely advisory. The Women’s Advisory Board and the UN Special Envoy to Syria consult regularly when there are peace undermines their efforts during the peace process in the international arena. Although a step forward in voicing women concerns and rights in the UN, their advisory role still

8 2009 org/news/26/11/2009/syria-end-persecution-kurds. Human Rights Watch, Syria: Investigate Sednaya Prison Deaths 2008. Reports including Human Rights Watch, Syria: End Persecution21/07/2008 of/syria-investigate-sednaya-prison-deaths. Kurds ( ). Available online: https://www.hrw. Amnesty 2010 syria( 2010). Available- online: https://www.hrw.org/news/ International, Syria Annual Report ( ). Available online: http://www.amnestyusa.org/research/reports/annual-report- 9 15 February 2011 leeast/201121514319413714/02/2011.html . Al Jazeera, Schoolgirl blogger jailed in Syria ( ). Available online: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/midd 9 Ref: www.syriauntold.com

THE CURRENT STATUS OF SYRIAN WHRDS IN SYRIA private spheres. Acts of violence such as rape, arbitrary detention, torture, sexual abuse and The militarization of Syrian society has normalised gender-based violence in the public and

violencehostage taking take place affect against many aWHRDs backdrop and of activists. structural The gender-based impact of the discrimination. on-going violence Since goes women beyond the direct victims to affect all women in society. The waves of conflict-related sexual seen as vital in keeping order in a chaoticare seen society. as key bearers of honour and morality, control over women’s bodies and behaviours is

capacity to carry out their work Note that WHRDs have a limited communities. Intimidation andwithin repression conflict zonesby the and Syrian refugee government and militias have restricted their work severely. Firstly, the violent environment and the tight censorship in Syria mean that it is too dangerous for information to be documented and reported. Secondly, arbitrary arrests, detentions and even extra judicial killings are direct

التحالف اإلقليمي للمدافعات عن حقوق اإلنسان في شرقاالوسط و شمال أفريقيا consequences of documenting

theirhuman experiences. rights abuses by WHRDs (this point will be elaborated more).Lastly, due to the very specific nature of violations that women are exposed to, many WHRDs prefer not to talk about

2011, a second decree followedThe harassment in July 2012 and detention of WHRDs in the country19 is usedhigh, toespecially convict peacefulafter the activistsAnti- and Terrorism Law. Following the abolishment of the State of Emergency in the Counter-Terrorism Law No. damagingdissidents. the The basic Law infrastructureestablished the of Counter-Terrorism the country.” 10 Court and defined terrorism as: “every act that aims at creating a state of panic among the people, destabilizing public security and

actuallyThe use ofare military charges courts used against and the human Counter-Terrorism rights defenders Court who means distribute the detainees humanitarian are denied aid, participatetheir right to in a protests, fair trial. and The document charges are human brought rights under abuses. the guise In addition, of countering by accusing terrorism, women but of being terrorists the state is justifying their arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances. Furthermore, indirect harassment against WHRDs to pressure them to leave the country has

many activists and their relatives under the pretext that they support terrorism11. extended to personal property. The Syrian Ministry of Finance has ordered the expropriation of

10 25 June 2013 www.hrw.org/news/25/06/2013 . Human Rights Watch, Syria: Counterterrorism Court Used to Stifle Dissent ( ). Available online:https:// 11 /syria-counterterrorism-court-used-stifle-dissent 2016 13 11 . The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Violations again women2016- in Syrian and the disproportionate impact of the conflict on them- Universal Periodic Review of the Syrian Arab Republic submission to the Human Rights Council (May ), p. Available online: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/WILPF_VAW_HC _WEB-ONEPAGE.pdf THE STATUS OF WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN SYRIA

wasThe governmentarbitrarily detained uses intimidation twice in Syria against and WHRDsnow lives To in threaten exile. She the stated opposition. on her Thewebsite case that of Razan by leavingGhazzawi Syria, clearly she illustrateshas left both the Assad intimidation and IS, buttechniques that particular used by to the her government. as a woman, Ghazzawi she has “left

12 the male-dominated opposition territories…Today, if I want to go back to the “liberated areas” I must be veiled, and preferably with a husband.’’ safeThe Syrianfor WHRDs, revolution, and the which opportunities has further for tightened doing their the work patriarchal in the publicweb, has sphere thus arebetrayed greatly WHRDs by not revolting against the patriarchy of an oppressive system. The spaces that are isolated in their struggles. diminished, and their only option is to continue from outside Syria. Those who do stay are

Islamist state, one in which women are stripped of their basic rights. In Syria, the strict Islamic ISIS uses gender-based violence to terrorize communities and impose their agenda for an school and the public space. Due to the censorship in ISIS controlled areas, we can only get a governance has greatly restricted women’s freedom 2016to move,, two access Syrian to WHRDs health care,who hadaccess a hidden to camera walked through the northern Syrian city of al-Raqqa over the course of several weeks to documentglimpse of theirthe living life under conditions ISIS rule. of women. In March

The visual footage and the conversations in the video reveal the extent of oppression women Streetface. «Cover in central your al-Raqqah. eyes properly.13 We don›t want the Hisbah women to see us. I don’t want us to makingget in trouble,» sure women Om Mohammed conform to whispersthe strict toSharia her friend laws. Om Omran as they walk along al-Rashid Hisbah is ISIS›s female religious police force that patrols the streets

12 7th February 2016 18 July 2016 13. R. Ghazzawi, Exiled Razzaniyat, Exiled Razzaniyat- Personal Observation of2016 myself, others, states and exile. , Available online: https://razanghazzawi.org (accessed ) 29 July 2016 . K. Hamadé, Women›s secret films from within closed city of Islamic State ( ). Available online:http://www. 12 expressen.se/nyheter/womens-secret-films-from-within-closed-city-of-islamic-state/ (Accessed ) Assassination is another punishment used by ISIS to oppress women. Also in al-Raqqa, ISIS murdered the female journalist Raqia Hassan having accused her of being a spy. Writing under

arrested in August 2015 on the accusation that she was collaborating with the Free Syrian Army andthe pen subsequently name Nissan killed Ibrahim, one month Hassan’s later. posts14 described the life of al-Raqqa residents. She was

enslaved.YetTo ISIS, women these are patriarchal considered values, a threat which if they are are taken not completelyto the extremes subservient in the violence to the men of ISIS, who are justrule asthem present — the in father, state institutions, the brother, andand inthe opposition husband. forces.They have War no further mobility; encourages they are theessentially warrior

masculinity, and glorifies protection, fighting and lack of emotions. Women’s role here becomes to take care of the fighters’ needs, in the private sphere. Human rights abuses are also documented in the PYD-controlled areas, particularly the violation 2016, the PYD released 16 women from Deir 9 al-Hasaka.of the right According to freedom to of an movement. activist, the In PYD May has been tightening the borders of their occupied Ezzor after they were arrested and detained for days in the party prisons in al-Mabroukeh in independent state15 areas and limited the entry to what it calls “Free al-Mabroukeh Point,” as it considers itself an which enable them to. The travel detained outside women the country. were travelling from the ISIS controlled area of Deir

التحالف اإلقليمي للمدافعات عن حقوق اإلنسان في شرقاالوسط و شمال أفريقيا Ezzor to get to Qamishli airport with the aim of travelling by air to Damascus or other areas Detention is another tactic used against women and WHRDs to assert pressure on the individuals

2850 women remaindetained, detained their family by Syrian and their security community. According to estimates from the Syrian Network for forcesHuman16 Rights.Furthermore, and the theSyrian Violations Center for Statistics and Research (SCSR), more than

documented around 1945 cases of womenDocumentation and 74 cases Center of ingirls Syria under (VDC) the age of 1818 arbitrarily detained17 2011 and July 2016.

between March

14 5 January 2016 theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/05/journalist-ruqia-hassan-killed-isis-raqqa-syria 15. The Guardian, Journalist Ruqia Hassan16 Arab Killed women in ISIS after Raqqa 9 ( ) 30Available2016 online: https://www. 16110.html 16. Zaman Al Wasl, Kurdish PYD frees days in detention ( May ). Available online: https:// en.zamanalwsl.net/news/2015 06/2015 17. .As Euro-Mediterranean of 3 August 2016 Human Rights Network (EMHRN), Detention of women in Syria: a weapon of war and terror (May detainees/). Available1/c29ydGJ online:5 http://euromedrights.org/wp-content/uploads/0ZXFhbF9 9 3xhcHByb3ZlZD12 /EMHRN_Womenindetention_EN.pdf4 0 0 13 . Data from Violation Documentation Centre in Syria, Available online: http://www.vdc-sy.info/index.php/en/ 18. Ibid. PWEuaTN kYXRlfHNvcnRkaXI REVTQ aXNpYmxlfGV dHJhZGlzcGxheT wfHNleD zfA THE STATUS OF WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN SYRIA

The practice of detaining WHRDs has increased as a deliberate tactic of collective punishment showtaking that advantage %76 of of female the traditional detainees patriarchal are detained notion in security of what branches a woman’s and social other position secret detention is. The placesdire prisons while womenonly %24 are are detained in the central in dehumanize prisons. Amongthem and those break in centraltheir mental prisons, state. around Statistics %83 are detained in Damascus central prison, Adra19 where military operations prevent the families from visiting their detained relatives, particularly those residing in other governorates. . even though the prison is located in a battle zone

20 in Adra prison, though women rarely talk about theirTorture experiences. has been documented One woman relates her experience to Syria Deeply, stating that she was “held by the intelligence division for 47 days. I was questioned 19 times and every theytime electrocutedthey hit me on me my then face, put then me with in cold a rifle waterthey hit then me electrocutedon sensitive placesme again. on myI died body; a she made confessions to activities that she wasthousand not involved times each in, like second.” collaborating Under torture, with armed groups.

Ref: yallasouriya.wordpress.com Detention has implications for women and WHRDs after release. Post-detention implications include dismissal from work or education institutions out of fear of rejection by families and communities. Rape in detention, or even the assumption of rape, is associated with deep stigma. In Syria at present, it has become a popular belief that every woman detained has been raped, regardless of what happened during detention. Rape as a war tactic has been widespread during as many as 4,000 cases of rape and mutilation of women and girls.21 the on-going conflict. Although precise data is not available, the SNHR has reported that there are

19 2016 10

20. WILPF, Violations again women in Syrian and the disproportionate impact of2015 the conflict on them (May ), p. 2015 uploads/. See EMHRN,03/2015 Detention of women in Syria: a weapon of war1.pdf and terror (May ) and EMHRN, Confined, Abused and Instrumentalised:21 Detention of Women in Syria (March ). Available online: http://euromedrights.org/wp-content/2011 2012, p. 8 /Sheet-Detention-of-Syrian-Women_ENG2012 2013-02-27 . Syrian Network for Human Rights, Human Rights Violations in Syria (Fact and Figures)- From March to March 14 (August ). Available online: http://dchrs.org/english/File/Reports/ _Facts_And_Figures_SNHR_ Report_En.pdf especiallyAll sides of the the rape conflict of women have used from rape minority as a tool groups. of war. Sexual Reports violence of rape is aof predominate women by the weapon FSA and those affiliated with it have surfaced in Idlib. Rape by ISIS has been extensively documented, community that they belong to. ISIS have even released a fatwa on the rules of raping female slaves!of war 22used by all those involved in the conflict to traumatize women, their family and the

Due to the stigma associated with rape and sexual assault, women are often abandoned and shunned by their families or communities in the

some may have no option but to live in exile.23 name of “honour.” When WHRDs are stigmatized, by their community or family, leave WHRDs vulnerableThe dual threat and proneof, detention to more and abuse. rejection “Honour killings” are a consequence of the deep stigma associated with raped women. Zainab al-Hosni, a survivor, spoke out against the threats she faced by her brothers after her release24. She recalls Ref: www.nytimes.com going to her relatives and being refused to be taken in because she was “subjected to shameful

wants to kill her for dishonouring their family, and a few months later, two young men came to 25 التحالف اإلقليمي للمدافعات عن حقوق اإلنسان في شرقاالوسط و شمال أفريقيا herthings place in prison,in Damascus that tarnished and attempted their honor…” to kill her. Al-Hosni’s sister informed her that their brother

Women’s bodies thus become one of the terrains of war. Violence against women is not merely a weaponsside effect from of conflict, armed butopposition a deliberate groups. military Since strategy 2013, women to destabilise are being and detained control for communities, the political purposeand spread of gainingterror. An bargaining emerging power. trend Womenin the conflict have been is arresting arrested women at military in order checkpoints to trade themand for

highroad, many Syrians including women were arrested for trading purposes. Also, in July 2015, detainedtwo women for fromtrading Daraa purposes. were arrested In Daraa, for at 5 Khirbet months Ghazaleh and released checkpoint in exchange on the for Damascus-Jordan a sum of money and some weapons from the FSA.26

concern about the risks women human rights defenders, particularly the following: 27 In itsRepeated concluding reports comments on arbitrary on the detention. second periodic Physical review abuse of and Syria, violence CEDAW by expressed the government deep forces and militias due to participation in peaceful activities. • 2012/19 • LackRepeated of information reports indicate about thatthe number most charges of women are done in detention under the on Terrorism terrorism Lawcharges (Law and No. those ) • prosecuted and sentenced by the Counter-Terrorism Court. • The travel ban imposed by the government on women activists. 22

23. Copy of the fatwa is available from http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/doc/slaves_fatwa.pdf 2015 . For more information and examples see EMHRN, Confined, Abused and Instrumentalised: Detention of Women in Syria 24 (March ) 2015 43. 25. Interview with Zainab al-Hosni available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQuztQ-KQZY2015 43 and EMHRN, Detention of women in Syria: a weapon of war and terror (May ) , p. 26 2016 10 . EMHRN, Detention of women in Syria: a weapon of war and terror (May ) , p. 27 15 . WILPF, Violations again women in Syrian and the disproportionate impact of the conflict on them (May ), p. 18 July 2014 2 . Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Concluding observations on the second periodic report of Syria ( , CEDAW/C/SYR/CO/ ) THE STATUS OF WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN SYRIA

PolitkovskayaMany Syrian WHRDs Award facein 2011 the threatfor her of work enforced on human disappearance. rights,28 demonstrates All sides of the the conflict use of forced disappearancehave kidnapped to WHRDs target WHRDs. whose fate remains. The case of Razan Zeitouneh—who won the

Razan is a prominent human rights lawyer, activist and journalist who headed the Violations 2013Documentation Centre in Syria (VDC). The VDC documents the death toll and ill treatment in Syria’s prisons, and compilies lists of the detained, executed and the disappeared. On December as the, aDouma group 4of masked gunmen stormed the VDC office in Douma and kidnapped Razan, her theyhusband, were Wael targeted Hamada, by the and regime, her two and colleagues, by opposition Samira groups. Al-Khalil It is stilland unknownNazem Hamadi, if Jaish (knownal-Islam ). Their whereabouts remain unknown. Because of her and her colleagues work, still holds them. Some believe they are now being held by the al-Qaeda affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusrah.

Ref: douma4.wordpress.com

know that their families and relatives do not know where they are so the chances are no one Enforced disappearance is frequently used as a strategy to spread terror within society. Detainees their work and cause further trauma in their communities. WHRDs face torture, abuse and even will com to help them. The kidnapping of Zeitoneh and many WHRDs is used to punish them for and their abuse. In an already fragmented and chaotic country, displacement divides WHRDs as individualsassassination. and There as a collective. is also a lack of local, regional and international attention to their struggles

28 161/

. Raw in War, Razan Zaitouneh: Biography, Available online: http://www.rawinwar.org/content/view/ 16 Ref: Richard Wainwright Photography

THE STATUS OF SYRIAN WHRDS IN THE DIASPORA THE STATUS OF WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN SYRIA

refugees,The on-going or asylum displacement seekers. crisis As many in the as Arab 9 million region Syrians has uprooted have been millions displaced of people, since the dispersing outbreak ofthem civil across war in the region under29 49.7 the perprecarious cent of thesestatus are of Internally women30 andDisplaced children Persons who live (IDPs), in a state of increasing vulnerability.31 March 2011;

1951 In the Middle East, Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan host the largest number of refugees mainly from IraqiSyria, 1971 Palestine and Iraq. However, none51 of these three Arab countries have ratified the rightRefugee to work Convention. and the Also, same out health of the and three, education only one services has a nationalas Iraqis. asylum However, law. it According does not apply to the to Political Refugee Act No. , political refugees are only entitled to benefits, such as the refugees who have fled their countries for other reasons. 1962 Law regulating entry of foreigners clearly states that Lebanon is not a country for refuge and as such, Similarly, Lebanon and Jordan do not have national laws on refugees.26 of this The law, Lebanese however, does allow 1952 however,refugees areno nationalgenerally law treated has been as «illegal implemented immigrants». on the Article protection of political and non-political refugees.political asylum. The Constitution of Jordan prohibits the extradition of political refugees,

29 9 million Syrians, over 2.5 million have taken refuge in neighbouring countries and 6.5

. UNHCR estimates that of these 30million are internally displaced within Syria itself. For the most up-to-date1 August figures 2016 on Syrian refugees, please see UNHCR regional.phpSyria Crisis http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php 31. Data from UNHCR, Syria Regional Refugee Response (Updated ). http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/2013 1 397 18 . ESCWA, Female Refugees from Syria in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. Situation Analysis. P. ( ). Available online: http://www.escwa.un.org/divisions/div_editor/Download.asp?table_name=ecw_other&field_name=id&FileID= includingThe negative the opinionsidea that abouthigh employment Syrian refugees among and the WHRDs Lebanese perpetuate is because fear of amongst the cheap Syrian labor WHRDs. There is resentment against Syrian refugees in the host community for various reasons,32 and amid the Lebanese people.33 In an interview with Layla, a Syrian WHRD working in the Beqaa regionSyrian refugeesin Lebanon, offer.34 she Negative explains perceptions that there are is very evident little in communication the Lebanese political between discourse her as a WHRD and the Lebanese community, as she feels that the Lebanese cannot accept that the lives of some Syrians are improving while there is high unemployment. On a personal level, she describes how

there is an ongoing view that those refugees who fled Syria have «abandoned their country and deserve what is happening to them in Lebanon.» This is a view that greatly upsets her as she, and the refugee community, are blamed for all of Lebanon’s current problems. Syrian refugee whose residency permit has expired, moving within the country is very risky. She explainsThe major that obstacle she is inshe constant faces as danger a WHRD of isbeing the violation arrested againstif asked the for freedomher papers. of movement. However she As a

could land refugees a prison sentence. has been lucky and it depends on the mood of the solider in charge. Travelling with no residency 2015 mean that refugees applying to renew

The new regulations in Lebanon enforced in January thetheir country residency legally. permits In addition, are sorted the intocost two of renewing categories: a residency those registered is high. withLayla UNHCR, explains the that United it will costNations her refugee400 700 agency,$ and those who are not and must find a Lebanese sponsor2 years,to remain 100 $in for التحالف اإلقليمي للمدافعات عن حقوق اإلنسان في شرقاالوسط و شمال أفريقيا issuing the documents and 200$ $( as a fine for living in Lebanon without a residency card for enough to live and continue her work for a assponsor), a WHRD and and it notis a beingcomplicated arrested process, in the bureaucratic as she does not andhave complicated all the documents process required. of renewing Her priorities,her residency. especially For many her refugeefinancial WHRDs, priorities, who are are earning the 35 the struggle to ensure the basic needs for living in the host country may interrupt their work as WHRDs or make it much more challenging. In addition, the fear of arrest andfamily’s its reprisals breadwinners, leaves many WHRDs vulnerable to many abuses and discourages them from doing their work.

WHRD working with vulnerable women and girls. Her family only knows that she works as an On a personal note, Layla describes how her family and neighbors do not know that she’s a

English teacher and nothing more. When asked why, she replied that it was easier that way. Like many Syrian women, by hiding their role as a WHRD, they are able to work without their family’s patriarchaldisapproval. stigma The environment associated with in which a WHRD refugees could live be meansan additional that many reason fear why of being her family sent back. might disapprove.That threat couldGender discourage prejudice WHRDs and discrimination families in accepting against female the type refugees of work means they do.that Also it is thesafer to hide her role as a WHRD than confront these prejudices.

32 3rd August 2016 2015/Apr-295333/22-bassil-warns-against-permanent- settlement-of-syrian-refugees.ashx. See The Daily Star, ‘Bassil warns against permanent settlement of Syrian refugees’ (accessed ). Available online:http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/33 3rd August 2016 co.uk/english/comment/9/10/2014/racism-against-syrians-in-lebanon 34. See Al Araby, ‘Racism against Syrian In Lebanon’ (Accessed4 2016. ). Available online: https://www.alaraby. 35 19 . Interview held at WHRD Coalition2014 Office in Beirut on Th August 53bb8d006.pdf . For more information on the number of female heads of household please see UNHCR, Women Alone: The fight for survival by Syria’s Refugee women ( ). Available online: http://www.unhcr.org/ar/ THE STATUS OF WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN SYRIA

The lack of legal protection means that WHRDs in the diaspora community are unable to seek remedies. The barriers, including the legal vacuum created by the absence of legal protection of non-citizens, the curtailed freedom of movement of refugees, and regulations by host countries withinrelated the to the host acquisition community. of Inresidency Lebanon, leave there WHRDs have been exposed cases to of abuse. arbitrary The arrests, influx of curfews refugees and and securitythe Lebanese raids. government›s inability to deal with the influx has led to many negative perceptions

20 Conclusion

WHRDs are working to combat a continuum of violence emanating The current conflict in Syria is placing a huge burden on civil society.

herefrom towithin support society the braveand in women the context who offace the danger conflict. everyday, The intersectional the women whoattacks refuse they to face give have up andleft thembe silenced, vulnerable the women and isolated. who would The Coalition go to great is

length to do what they believe in, the women who are fighting for a Syria thefree local of repression and international and human levels. rights WHRDs abuses. play The important Coalition roles is here in theto on- support them by recognising their work and fighting for their freedom in to mainstream their work and collaborate to enhance their work. going conflict and long after it ends. It is critical that WHRDs know how التحالف اإلقليمي للمدافعات عن حقوق اإلنسان في شرقاالوسط و شمال أفريقيا

21 THE STATUS OF WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN SYRIA

Recommendations

International community:

• themMainstream in the transitional the role of WHRDs period towardswhen dealing peace. with the Syrian conflict in Syria and in the diaspora community, involve them in all talks and negotiations to end the conflict, and include

• Syria.Ensure the protections of WHRDs who are present in the United Nations (UN) General PressureAssembly, non-state Security Councilactors to and release Human detained Rights WHRDs Council andsessions, ensure and their issue safety Resolutions by diplomatic on means. • large. • Ensure WHRDs are part of all dialogues as they know what is best for women and society at Local parties (the Syrian regime, Kurdish government and all non-state actors): Release all detained WHRDs immediately. Respect the international treaties that Syria is a state party to • • large. • OfferEnsure psychological WHRDs are supportpart of all to dialogues all detained as theyWHRDs. know what is best for women and society at

• • asOffer agents support of peace to detained and change. WHRDs who face difficulty in reintegrating their communities. • Educate communities about the importance of WHRDs, and mainstream the idea of WHRDs perpetrators accountable. • Ensure any violence towards WHRDs is dealt with under the rule of law, and hold Civil society organizations in Syria and the region:

• theirEnsure digital WHRDs security, in Syria in additionand in the to diaspora their protection community from have reprisals effective when resources engaging that with internationalassist their work, and andmultilateral keep them fora. safe. This includes taking all means necessary to ensure

large. • OfferEnsure psychological WHRDs are supportpart of all to dialogues all detained as theyWHRDs. know what is best for women and society at

• • asOffer agents support of peace to detained and change. WHRDs who face difficulty in reintegrating their communities. • DevelopEducate communitiesan online platform about for the WHRDs importance to share of WHRDs, their ideas and and mainstream experiences. the idea of WHRDs

• mechanisms. • Train WHRDs on legal protection, as well as the existing local, regional and international

22 IN THEMIDDLEEAST ANDNORTH AFRICA THE WHRDCOALITION The CoalitionSecretariat [email protected] [email protected]

التحالف اإلقليمي للمدافعات عن حقوق اإلنسان في شرق االوسط و شمال أفريقيا