"The holy blood of the Syrian Arab Army’s martyrs won’t go in vain. Every drop of my husband’s blood when he was slaughtered savagely by ISIS terrorists in the northern countryside of Lattakia province because he was one of the Syrian  Army personnel is a source of pride, hope, strength and steadfastness,” Mrs. Hasna Issa said in a statement to the Syriatimes e-newspaper on the sidelines of an event held by “Assawari” Civil Society Association in Lattakia province  marking  International Women’s Day ( IWD)  and Mother’s Day.

She underlined  that  the worst and most brutal massacres were carried out by terrorists in the northern countryside of Lattakia.

 “I will not forget that day when I and my three little children witnessed the slaughtering of my husband. When my five-year old son saw his father lying on the ground  covered with his blood, he threw stones at the terrorists, who then tied the child to a tree and started torturing him by burning his body with a hot iron rod,” Mrs. Issa added with her eyes full of tears and sadness.

With the aim of supporting productive ladies, The Business Women Committee Exhibition, was recently launched in Homs with the participation of forty women presented a set of manual and traditional works.

The exhibition, which lasted for three days in the Homs Chamber of Commerce, included a variety of handicrafts that mimic modernity with heritage templates  , such as various textile pieces and embroideries, in addition to the  different innovative methods in preserving foodstuffs, making pastries, antiques, gifts, ornamental pieces, and recycling of environmental waste including cloth, wood, glass, and others.

Nine years of terrorist war on Syria have had adverse impacts on all citizens, particularly women, who have faced different forms of challenges and have taken new roles and responsibilities in supporting their families.

On International Women's Day, it is important to remind the world that Syria encompasses plenty of examples of great Syrian women who have lost their loved ones in the terrorist war, yet kept steadfast ,struggling to bring up their children, defy the economic burdens of life under the crisis and maintain their key role in all domains.

"Syrian women have always been an example of giving, resistance and patience, struggling alongside the heroes of the Syrian army both in battlefields and at home, where they have been the breadwinners of their families given the absence of their men who are either still fighting terrorism or were martyred defending the homeland,” said Nabila Ibrahim, a sister of two martyrs- Nader and Ibrahim- and the wife of the wounded soldier Amer Othman.

She stressed that that the martyrdom of her two brothers and the wounds of her husband while defending Syria against takfiri terrorists is a source of pride to her and to her mother, pointing out that the difficulties that have faced women during the war have strengthened their determination to give more.

March 8 in Syria marks two major occasions. One of them is the Revolution of the 8th of March 1963 which was a turning point in Syria's modern history and an important achievement that helped Syria gain a key position in the Arab region and led to major economic and social reforms that reflected positively on all walks of life in the country. The other occasion is International Women Day which is commemorated every year with so much pride and respect for Syrian women who throughout history have been an example of sacrifice, patriotism and resistance against occupation and terrorism.

A shining example of those Syrian women is the Golanese heroine Ghalia Farhat, who was martyred on March 8, 1987 while participating in a celebration held to inaugurate the potable water network which was supposed to be set up by the Syrian  government in the occupied Baq'ata village marking the country's celebrations of March 8th Revolution.

On that day (March 8 1987), thousands of citizens from the occupied Golan villages of Majdal Shams,  Beq’ata, Mas’ada and Ein Qinyeh gathered to celebrate the project of pumping drinking water from their motherland Syria to their houses in these occupied towns after the Israeli occupation authorities had blocked their access to drinking water.

On the occasion of International Women's Day, it is necessary to shed light on the positive actions of women working in trade unions in terms of serving their colleagues on the one hand and conveying the voice of working women on the other. It is also necessary to focus on the increase in women’s participation in various leadership positions thus reflecting a bright image of Syrian women.

Head of the Syndicate of Pharmacists in Syria, Dr. Wafaa Keshi, said that the woman’s unionist work has given an added value to output and reflected their bright image through their diligence and dedication to work. She added that this role has grown and women have begun to occupy advanced positions in trade unions.

Dr. Keshi began her unionist career in 2003. Her experience has accumulated and developed to enable her to serve her colleagues, defend their interests, increase the advantages provided to them, enhance their skills and strengthen the union's position in society. She affirmed that unionist work has showed the ability of Syrian women to give, innovate and renew.

On his part, head of the Agricultural Engineers Syndicate, Dr. Eng. Rama Aziz indicated that unionist work is a voluntary kind of work that aims at serving colleagues, pointing out that whoever enters this field must be fully aware of the size of the responsibility he/she must undertake to meet the needs of those who put their trust in him. She clarified that the legislative, political and social environment in Syria is appropriate and encouraging for women’s work in different fields, including in trade unions that contribute a lot to women's success.