Take five: “Women pay the highest price in the Syrian conflict”
Date:
Lina Sinjab is a Syrian journalist who has covered the conflict in Syria for BBC and other media outlets since 2011. She served as the moderator of a dialogue between Syrian women and policy-makers, held on the sidelines of the EU-UN conference “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region” organized in Brussels last month. Ms. Sinjab spoke to UN Women about her views on the role of Syrian women in the conflict and the construction of peace.
As a woman and as a journalist covering the conflict in Syria, what do you think are the main issues facing Syrian women?
Women pay the highest price in the Syrian conflict. With so many men being killed, imprisoned or disappearing, women remain as the breadwinners for their families. They must toughen up their lives and respond to the needs created by this war.
What should be the role of Syrian women in the construction of peace?
We cannot build peace and the future of Syria if it is designed and conceived by men only. We know that those who are trying to make peace are the ones who made the war. We need women participating. We need their voices. It is not possible to even imagine a better future with only half of the society. We need our women to be more empowered, to participate more actively and to be heard more loudly.
Read the full story on UN Women's regional website for Arab States and North Africa.