English

Prepared by: Syria Women Observatory (SWO)
Damascus 20/5/2007
Translate By: Angela Shoufi
---------------------
Contrary to what is adopted in the drafting of reports, we allow ourselves to put our view in a different way because of the limited time available for preparation of this report.

Preliminary:
As we adopt the concepts of human rights and citizenship as a basis for addressing women's issues, particularly the problem of violence and discrimination against women, we would like to stress that women's rights are universal and not subjected to restrictions or cultural legacies.

Therefore, we call for scrutiny of Paragraph / 2 / article / 28 /, and for restriction of the reservation area available to the signatories of the Convention, particularly by identification of certain items that the signatories can not reserve on.

Introduction:
Even though the Syrian government has ratified CEDAW since five years, what has been achieved towards conformity with it, in the legal texts, the practice or the public mental, is still much lower than expected.

Despite the Convention's priority over domestic law when it is ratified, this is not applied in Syrian courts or in the various legislative revisions. There are several reasons for that: the convention did not widely disseminated, and several bodies block this possibility and promote a wrong concept of patriotism based on "localism".

In a study prepared by the Federation of Women (2005), the Syrian government has acknowledged, for the first time, that the violence against women is a widespread phenomenon (one from four women), but this recognition did not lead to serious interest in the problem nor to search for appropriate effective mechanisms to eliminate it.

It has not been recognized that women's issues require a radical legal change. These issues are still politically endorsed, and the frank and open talk is still considered as a kind of direct compatibility with external political pressure. Also, the essential role of civil society organizations in promoting awareness of anti-violence against women and in creating effective mechanisms to counter the domestic violence and to protect the harmed women has not been recognized yet.

Note:
The national report on what has been achieved regarding CEDAW Convention has not been introduced to the public debate, and it was constricted to some governmental and non-governmental quarters. So was the matter regarding the report of NGOs which was prepared by few organizations working on women's issues, and a broad spectrum of relevant civic organizations had not been involved in the preparation of this report. However, both reports are available to the public after submission to the concerned committee. Thus, the national report represents the Syrian government, and the "shadow report" represents those who had prepared it only.
----------

Full Report (PDF)..

By: Dalal Kouaidr
This research talking about fear from blood cancer and engaged to trauma.
First: The researcher explained the blood cancer paragraph and she talked about define it, reason it, kind it, and the methods of treatment it. Then she spoke about the fear paragraph the fear define how his origin it and type it and the explanation theoriest it, reason it look it, factors affecting on it, symptoms it protection and treatment it. Then she talked about the fear paragraph from the cancer with in define blood cancer fear, naturly it, reason it, kind it, like death phobia, pain phobia.
Finally talking about trauma, appearance reason it, the explanation theoriest it cancer effect as a trauma. Eventually helping methods of illness.
And in the practical part, the researcher, and the result of hypothesis was:
The fear of blood cancer measure shown the relation ship between the fear of blood cancer and trauma measure.
This correlation was positive correlation. The second hypothesis showed.
There is not difference between illness and non illness of fear of blood cancer measure third hypothesis: The result of it was:
There is difference between male and female on fear of blood cancer, the result of female was over than male because the female move describe her emotion than male.

Full text (Arabic)

by: Thanaa Assabaa
Who has granted such sainthood to the habits? Do we lack to sacred things to canonize behaviors and habits which have been existed for a long time ago? These are Questions put forth by a group of people who aspire to a better society and seek to formulate more appropriate habits to their culture and thinking. They are belonging to a village on the outskirts of the desert called Sadad. The beginning was at a website.

=> Read more!

BY: Rima Flaihan
On 1/8/2006 it‘s been dissolved Governing Council Care Association in Alsueda imprisoned by sudden and unjustified causes and without any prior warning! And after wrangling lasted four months between the Governing Council and the prison administration, in connection with financial irregularities Spending, Governing Council did not accept the award for not asserted at the time! .. The result was a solution Governing Council instead of solving problems!

=> Read more!

By: Rima Fleihan
"a member in SWO Team"
8/1/2008

The Syrian outstanding TV serial "tale of love", in a beautiful and attractive manner, deals sensitive social issues. It presents strong and influential images of life diversity.

=> Read more!

By: Lawyer Abdullah Ali
2008-03-22

Sexual relationship between man and woman is important and essential in the marital life. It is often the main reason for the success or the failure of the marriage. Despite the importance of this relationship and its impact on the future of marriage, which is formulating the code ensuring the continuation of the rapprochement between the parties and the non-aversion to each other, legislation has fallen short of this importance of the sexual relationship and its impact on marital life and the future of marriage. On the contrary, we can say that the legislative failure has associated with the presence of certain legal provisions concerning sexual offences which harmed the freedom of wife in the relationship with her husband and facilitated the violation of her body's sanctity without fear or deterrent.

=> Read more!

By: Ayham Asad

"Achieving high rates of economic growth and equal distribution of the national income and the social productive wealth will lead to some kind of economic balance between social ranks, including women, which ensures a minimum social justice and affecting the women ".

=> Read more!

Bassam Al-Qadi
February 22, 2008

I had prepared some questions prior to the discussion with Marlene Bertrand, a Canadian authority on battling violence against women, but her wide experience easily outstripped them as the dialogue drifted towards an open, public discussion addressing all aspects of violence against women. This seemed a natural progression, considering that Bertrand has spent more than two decades fighting violence against women both in and outside of Canada.
In Canada, she has played a central role in transforming the public’s viewpoint towards violence against women as a private, familial matter to an issue which concerns the society as a whole. She was unequivocal in expressing her views during what was an enjoyable dialogue, translated with our thanks by Pegatha Taylor, a consultant from the Canadian Embassy, who also participated actively in the discussion. Taylor also played a vital role in the success of the workshop which was undertaken by the National Association for the Development of the Role of Women.

=> Read more!

Bassam El-Kadi

Will the appetite of those who defend segments 548 & 192 of the Syrian penalty law ever be fulfilled?! Will the appetite for drinking Syrian Women’s blood ever be satisfied in those who still defend this killing once by the name of Islam, and another by the name of Christianity, and a third by the name of customs and traditions?! Will it ever have enough in the “male” ministers of the government who stands still watching this blood bath and involving in it by their silence and rejection of change?! Will it get enough in those hypocrites who say they defend “manors” while keeping the lowest manor of them all, a human killing another human?!

=> Read more!

Bassam El-Kadi

Several days ago, Mohammad Saleem Kefaya slew his sister Yasmine (Jasmine) Kefaya in Edleb using a knife! Slicing her throat on the temple of “honor”, and went straight to the police station to surrender himself shouting: “I washed away the shame!” assured that he’ll walk out free in several months! , or maximally in two years!

=> Read more!