Violence Against Women Seen Rife in Syria
June 9, 1999 - 0:0
DEMASCUS -- Physicians, lawyers and activists say domestic violence, sexual or physical, and discrimination against women is common among Syria's 16.7 million people, particularly in rural areas. Ignorance, machismo and tribal customs which favor men fuel the violence and combine to make the lot of many Syrian women a miserable one. Violence Against Women on the Rise Although there are no official estimates of domestic violence or rape, activists say the victims number in the thousands.
Mustapha Habash, head of the Emergency Department at Al-Muwasat Hospital in Damascus, says he sees three to four victims of violence each month. Few take that step, since it draws in the police. Aisha grew up watching her father beat her mother. "I know that she kept silent because she was afraid of getting divorced or thrown out onto the streets.
Once he even divorced her and remarried her," she whispered, her head bowed. Discrimination against women is also a serious problem in Syria, activists say. Many girls are denied education and proper health care by parents who favor their brothers. "Our society is very violent. It is male-dominated, aggressive and suppressive," said cardiologist Ahmad At-Taqi, a former deputy. "The number of girls who suffer heart problems is equal to the number of boys but 92 percent of surgery is performed on boys simply because traditions say that a girl child can be replaced," he added.
The pro-government General Union of Women (GUW) in Syria recently published a 1995 survey that showed 35.27 percent of Syria's population were illiterate and most of those -- 25.87 percent -- were female. Hanan Nijmeh, a lawyer and women's rights activist, said Syrian laws do not offer much protection. Lax legislation on domestic affairs, such as divorce and rape, ease the path of violence against women.
Nijmeh said a woman in Syria always feels threatened by divorce, as a husband can just dispense with her without giving compensation. While activists and GUW officials slam some Syrian legislation as unfair to women, they say things have improved during the 30-year term of President Hafez al-Assad. "Though we are satisfied with the woman's situation we have passed many proposals to Parliament to change unfair laws," GUW member Raghida al-Ahmad told Reuters. "We have 26 women in the 250-member Parliament and two ministers in the 36-member cabinet.
There are 132 women judges and 16 percent of lawyers and 44 percent of teachers are women," Ahmad said. (Reuter)
Mustapha Habash, head of the Emergency Department at Al-Muwasat Hospital in Damascus, says he sees three to four victims of violence each month. Few take that step, since it draws in the police. Aisha grew up watching her father beat her mother. "I know that she kept silent because she was afraid of getting divorced or thrown out onto the streets.
Once he even divorced her and remarried her," she whispered, her head bowed. Discrimination against women is also a serious problem in Syria, activists say. Many girls are denied education and proper health care by parents who favor their brothers. "Our society is very violent. It is male-dominated, aggressive and suppressive," said cardiologist Ahmad At-Taqi, a former deputy. "The number of girls who suffer heart problems is equal to the number of boys but 92 percent of surgery is performed on boys simply because traditions say that a girl child can be replaced," he added.
The pro-government General Union of Women (GUW) in Syria recently published a 1995 survey that showed 35.27 percent of Syria's population were illiterate and most of those -- 25.87 percent -- were female. Hanan Nijmeh, a lawyer and women's rights activist, said Syrian laws do not offer much protection. Lax legislation on domestic affairs, such as divorce and rape, ease the path of violence against women.
Nijmeh said a woman in Syria always feels threatened by divorce, as a husband can just dispense with her without giving compensation. While activists and GUW officials slam some Syrian legislation as unfair to women, they say things have improved during the 30-year term of President Hafez al-Assad. "Though we are satisfied with the woman's situation we have passed many proposals to Parliament to change unfair laws," GUW member Raghida al-Ahmad told Reuters. "We have 26 women in the 250-member Parliament and two ministers in the 36-member cabinet.
There are 132 women judges and 16 percent of lawyers and 44 percent of teachers are women," Ahmad said. (Reuter)