Sport, artistic and awareness activities within Syria’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence

Within the framework of Syria’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, several artistic and sport activities as well as training workshops were held in the cities of Qamishli and Tartous by the Syrian Society for Social Development in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR.

Safa Saeed Al-Hussein, a coordinator at “Beit El-Kell” Center of the Social Development Society in Qamishli, said the activities were carried out by the society’s volunteers under the title “Hand in Hand, Word and Deed, Our Responsibility in Countering Gender-Based Violence”.

The activities included a karate show and theatrical performances depicting early marriage and the negative view of the eastern society towards the working women.

Director of Qamishli Cultural Center Fayeza Al-Qaderi, for her part, hailed the efforts exerted by the government to support working women and equality between men and women, pointing out that these efforts have positively changed the society’s stance towards women in general.

In Banias, Tartous, Coordinator of the program for countering Gender-Based Violence at the Social Development Society Douaa Taha Basha told SANA that the program held a workshop to train women on how to defend themselves if they are exposed to violence or any kind of attack.

She added that the campaign also included a march that ended with a solidarity stand in which participants expressed their rejection of violence against women.

Hamda Mustafa