Syria: War’s Toll on Women
Edited: sorry, forgot to add the link: http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/07/02/syria-war-s-toll-women
Graphic warning... some of the photos and stories accompanying this article are quite intense. Yet we need these kinds of truths to bring attention to the victims of this conflict.
Syria: War’s Toll on Women
Activists, Others Detained and Abused by All Sides in the Conflict
July 2, 2014
Human Rights Watch
(London) – Women in Syria have been arbitrarily arrested and detained, physically abused, harassed, and tortured during Syria’s conflict by government forces, pro-government militias, and armed groups opposed to the government, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) will conduct a review of the situation for Syrian women on July 4, 2014, in Geneva.
The 47-page report, “We Are Still Here: Women on the Front Line of Syria’s Conflict,” profiles 17 Syrian women who are now refugees in Turkey. Through written and photographic portraits, the report documents ways in which the conflict impacts women in particular. Women profiled in the report experienced violations by government and pro-government forces as well as by armed groups opposed to the government such as Liwa’al-Islam and extremist groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS). Some female activists and humanitarian aid providers said they had been threatened, arbitrarily arrested and detained, and tortured by government or armed opposition forces. All six former detainees profiled in the report experienced physical abuse or torture in detention; one woman was sexually assaulted multiple times. Other women said they had been victims of discriminatory restrictions on their dress and movement. Several women were injured or lost family members in indiscriminate attacks on civilians by government forces.
“Women have not been spared any aspect of the brutality of the Syrian conflict, but they are not merely passive victims,” said Liesl Gerntholtz, women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch. “Women are taking on increasing responsibilities – whether by choice or due to circumstance – and they should not have to pay with intimidation, arrest, abuse, or even torture.”
The United Nations committee review is an opportunity to highlight the plight of women in Syria – in particular, that the government of Syria and many non-state actors are committing abuses against women and girls in a climate of total impunity, Human Rights Watch said. The committee should urge the Syrian government to cease arbitrary arrest and detention and all forms of violence against women, to investigate such abuses, and to hold those responsible to account. During its review, the committee is responsible for assessing the state party’s adherence to its obligations under CEDAW and recommending actions it should take to improve the situation for women and girls....
MORE at link posted above.
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