The Untold Stories: Feminist Insights into the Syrian Conflict

One of the most disastrous and prolonged security issues in the world is the civil war in Syria. The war began in 2011 and it's still taking a toll on the security of its citizens, especially women. Some of the actors involved in this conflict are the Syrian government led by President Bashar al - Assad, rebel groups, islamist militants, Kurdish forces and external actors like Russia, Turkey, Iran and the United States (Laub, Z. 2019).

The conflict after its inception soon became a humanitarian crisis with millions of people displaced internally and externally, widespread destruction of infrastructure and lack of basic services. But what is often ignored from the mainstream portrayal of the civil war is the feminist perspective. Women and girls make up a significant proportion of internally displaced persons (IDPs) facing heightened risk of exploitation and sexual violence. Many women also face hardships while caring for their children at a time where basic healthcare services are scarce in the country.

Terrorism is one of major elements of the conflict which has contributed to weaponizing gender in the civil war. The presence of groups such as ISIS and Hayat Tahrir al - Sham has added another layer of complexity to the conflict, with these groups controlling territory and carrying out attacks against civilians and rival factions. These groups systematically target women as means to coerce the population. Enforcing a system of humiliation of families through raping the women is also used to instil a sense of fear (Abington, T. 2019).

Cynthia Enloe’s work on how patriarchal ideologies shape perceptions and behaviors of men can be used to understand the situation of women in this warzone (Shepherd, L. 2008). With the increasing rates of sexual violence subjected on women based on their ethnicity and religion, one can see how notions like intersectionality and ideas of masculinity and femininity come into play. These notions of how the man is the protector and how he has the power to violate ‘other’ women shapes how security and violence is seen. From a social constructivist lens, we can see how gender dynamics are played on victims by feminizing them after inflicting heinous events on them. 

Enloe's research highlights the impact of patriarchy, across facets of society including the imposition of regulations that control the movements and actions of women especially in conflict affected areas. In Syria all regions implement rules restricting the mobility of women and girls to mitigate the threat of violence and uphold gender norms. These restrictions are enforced by the women themselves or their families and the broader community they belong to (2.12.1. Violence Against Women and Girls: Overview, n.d.). In some situations families may choose to marry off their daughters for reasons of safety or financial stability especially when armed groups target vulnerable communities, for marriages. This reinforces the dominance of men over a woman's body and her destiny. The actual protection of women from violence is often inadequate with nonexistent enforcement. For instance there are claims that despite laws prohibiting rape and sexual assault on women, men and children, in Syria the government struggles to enforce these laws. Additionally Syrian legislation waives penalties if the perpetrator marries the victim (2.12.1. Violence Against Women and Girls: Overview, n.d.)

Laura J. Shepherd’s work emphasizes the importance of analyzing individual gender hierarchies  and power struggles and their effects on global security threats (Shepherd, L. 2009). Several reports in the media, political speeches and propaganda about the ongoing Syrian civil war bring out questions of femininity and authority that expose deep-rooted power politics. It is necessary for women to speak up, tell their own stories, uncover hidden truths, link gender issues with manifestations of war. Enloe’s work brings out how women and other vulnerable groups can challenge male-dominated structures & oppose violence. However, despite suffering from several forms of oppression, women in Syria have been actively involved in rebuilding peace as well as humanitarian efforts and grassroots initiatives (Shepherd, L. 2009)

As the Syrian conflict continues to exact a toll on livelihoods, it's crucial to center the experiences of women in our understanding of the crisis.

Reference List

• 2.12.1. Violence against women and girls: overview. (n.d.). European Union Agency for Asylum. https://euaa.europa.eu/country-guidance-syria/2121-violence-against-women-and-girls-overview#:~:text=Throughout%20the%20conflict%2C%20Syrian%20women,basic%20services%20%5BTargeting%2C%201.1.

• Abington, T. (2019, April 3). Armies of Women: the Syria Crisis and the New War thesis. E-International Relations. https://www.e-ir.info/2019/03/27/armies-of-women-the-syria-crisis-and-the-new-war-thesis/#:~:text=The%20feminist%20perspective%2C%20therefore%2C%20proves,reflects%20the%20new%20war%20thesis.&text=The%20new%20war%20thesis%20asserts,%E2%80%9D%20(Kaldor%2C%202013).

• Laub, Z. (2019, October 15). Syria’s civil war. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/article/syrias-civil-war

• Shepherd, L. J. (2009). Gender, Violence and Global Politics: Contemporary debates in Feminist Security Studies. Political Studies Review, 7(2), 208–219. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-9299.2009.00180.x