Syria Cries Her Daughters

As the war in Syria grows uglier, more civilians are fleeing their homes to neighboring countries. The majority of these refugees are women and children. These refugees not only fear missiles, cluster bombs, warplanes and SCUDS, but they are escaping rape as it became \"a significant and disturbing feature by the Syrian civil war\" according to International Rescue Committee. Recently, the head of Syrian National Coalition - main Syrian opposition bloc - Mr. Moaz Al Khatib called the Syrian regime to release women detainees from Syrian regime's prisons as a sign of good intentions and a precondition to launch negotiations for a transitional government to rule post-Assad Syria, the call was mocked and refused by Syrian regime. There are many women kept hostage by the Syrian security forces in order to force their male relatives or acquaintances to turn themselves in. On the 5th of February 2013, The Syrian Network for Human Rights said that about 4057 women were killed, with a margin of 1009. There are about 1200 disappeared women. In my opinion, the number is much more than that.

Horrifying accounts of rape

Like their fellow men, Syrian women are doomed to face the same abhorrent treatment and horrifying situations by regime forces. Women, as well as men and children, are raped. Women detainees are kept in dark and damp cells usually withouts vents. These cells are shared with cockroaches and rats. One woman said that she was denied of using pads during her monthly period which made her use trash for this purpose, as a result she developed a reproductive disease. Another witness said that her jailers used to urinate in the mouths of the women imprisoned with her to break their phycology.[1]

A witness told BBC[2] what happened to her fellow prisoner, a rat was forced inside her \"He pushed a rat in her vagina, she was screaming. Afterwards we saw a blood on the floor. He told her:'Is this good enough for you?' They were mocking her. It was obvious that she was in agony. We could see her, after that she no longer lived.\"

There is no official number of raped women in Syria. Many women are hushed by shame, guilt and fear of punishment. These women cannot come open because they might risk being outcasted by their families and communities. One female doctor in Damascus the capital of Syria, said that she contacted 2000 women that were raped by regime's soldiers. Hearing such number in a city that considered till recently relatively stable make me think of the cities and towns that were raided at and attacked by Syrian forces.

Cause and Effect

Those who know the nature of the Syrian regime will know that it always employed the filthiest ways to manipulate the traditions and habits of different communities and incite them against each others. As women are considered a symbol of honor, security officers and soldiers target this symbol to humiliate these women and their families in order to punish and shut them up. But this will only tear up the fabric of society in Syria. Vendetta is common in rural areas, the families of the raped women will not spare the lives of those who brought shame for them, and the spread of arms will make easier. This might be a setback in the efforts of reconciliation.

Shame is a main factor for women in Syria that prevent them from reporting what happened to them, and thus, turn down the possibility of helping them to seek psychological treatment and healing. There is also the fact that their government is raping them, so who will bring justice to these women even if they knew their rapists? Soldiers and security forces know that they will get away with it, if not rewarded.

There are a number of extreme cases of raped women killed by their fathers to clean their honor. Many forced marriages are currently taking place inside and outside Syria. Suicide may expand, one teenage girl committed suicide after she was arrested and raped. [3]

The shame is on UN

The Syrian American Council started a petition urging First Lady Michelle Obama to denounce the assaults on women in Syria. Those who would like to participate can sign here.
https://www.change.org/petitions/first-lady-michelle-obama-condemn-the-a...

Honestly, I do not believe that the international community is not able to do more for Syrians. UN Security Council fell short from stopping the escalating violence in Syria because some countries' interests like Russia and China are more important than human lives and women's future. UN call for collecting about $1.5 billion ended up with only %20 of it. Many announcements of donations and aid are not fulfilled.

The shame is not on the victims, its on those who fell short from stopping such repulsive actions against women in the third millennium. The Shame is on the five countries in the UN security council, the shame is on Iran and its mercenaries, the shame on all of us who could, but won't.

Links:

[1] https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=370856736337141&set=a.2533729414...

[2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19718075

[3] https://womenundersiegesyria.crowdmap.com/reports/view/102