On International Women’s Day, we remember the struggles of Syrian women for freedom, dignity, equality, and democracy. We affirm that achieving a national state requires equal citizenship for all Syrians, women and men. The Syrian Feminist Lobby emphasizes that Syria needs to achieve transitional justice that ensures justice for all victims without discrimination and holds accountable all those who committed crimes against Syrians, women and men, before and after the fall of the Assad regime.
On this day, we remember the forcibly disappeared women and the families of the forcibly disappeared, as well as women who were victims of war crimes during the previous regime and over the past year. We remember the women whose rights were violated, women who suffer from discrimination and oppression, and abducted women and their families. We call for justice and accountability, and for a genuine political transition that aligns with international UN resolutions ensuring the effective participation of women and all components of Syrian society.
We stand in solidarity with Syrian women everywhere in the pursuit of a dignified homeland where their equal rights are realized and where they can participate in public life without restrictions or violations of their personal and public rights.
The past year has been a tragic one, in which Syria has worn the garments of mourning due to the repeated violations, the failure to achieve justice, discriminatory laws, chaos, and the conduct of those in power that has squandered a real opportunity for democratic change—change for which Syrians, women and men alike, have struggled. Such change can only be achieved through a national democratic political process that leads the country toward sustainable peace and the restoration of civil peace.
We pledge to continue working until we achieve the dream we aspire to: a free, dignified, democratic homeland where everyone is equal and no discrimination exists.