Syrian Women’s Political Movement
Statement

Seven Years on, Syrian
Women Continue their Struggle for Justice

On the 7th anniversary of the Syrian Revolution, the Syrian Women’s Political
Movement (SWPM) honors the many sacrifices Syrian women and men have made – and
continue to make – in their pursuit of freedom, justice, democracy,
and equality, and we call on the international community to take the action
needed to end this brutal conflict.

Seven years ago, people across Syria – women, men, and
children – peacefully took to the streets full of hope. In this extraordinary
moment, Syrians of all walks of life came together out of a collective
determination to cast off the Assad regime’s decades-old tyranny and
demand a democratic Syria for all Syrians. For this, we have faced unthinkable
horrors – indiscriminate bombardment, mass disappearances, forced
displacement, torture, extrajudicial killings, chemical warfare, sieges
and starvation. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed – tens of
thousands of them women – and countless disappeared. As the war enters its eighth
year, we fear the worst is yet to come.

The atrocities committed in Syria have taken place in full
view of international community, with total impunity. Women’s demands for
civilian protection and justice have consistently gone ignored. While world
powers contemplate the complexity of the Syrian crisis, our beloved country has
been decimated. It is the Syrian people who are paying the ultimate price
for the international community’s failure and unwilling to act.

Yet, despite the hardships, Syrian women’s determination
remains unwavering. Syrian women have played a major role in maintaining the
social fabric, supporting families, and providing services particularly in
besieged areas. The SWPM will continue to uphold the demands of the
Syrian Revolution and struggle peacefully for justice and reform. Syrian
women want what all people want: accountability for human rights abuses and war
crimes; equal citizenship and civic freedoms; democratic elections and
participatory government. We want, like all women and men, to establish a
society that is secure, equal and free.

On this anniversary, we honor all those who risked their lives in the name
of a free Syria: the detained, the murdered, and the disappeared.

Syrian Women’s
Political Movement

15 March 2018