![Yazidi refugees celebrate news of the liberation of their homeland of Sinjar from ISIL extremists, while at a refugee camp on November 13, 2015 in Derek, Rojava, Syria.](https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_glossy+ret_img/https://iwpr.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_325x325/public/images/focus/GettyImages-496991140%20copy.jpg?h=56d0ca2e)
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Speaking Out: Women's Voices from Syria
Years active: 2015-2018
Women are among the hardest-hit by the war in Syria, yet many play vital roles in the struggle for human rights, gender equality, reconciliation and social justice.
IWPR’s Speaking Out project provides a space for female writers to share their experiences of daily life both in Syria or as refugees abroad. It is a platform where they can publish their views at a time when they struggle to be heard amid ongoing atrocities, mass displacement, collapsing public services, and personal tragedies.
The blog posts are written and published in Arabic and also translated into English for publication here and on IWPR’s Syria Stories website.
Syria: Forty-Eight Hours in the War Zone
As Douma falls to government forces, an activist seeks for news of her family.
Syria: A Grieving Mother Refuses to Give Up Hope
Facing the trauma of death and disappearance in Idlib.
Syria: "Mama, Why Are They Shelling Us?"
Trapped under fire, a mother has no answer to a child’s question.
Women Told to Hide "Shining Eyes" in Raqqa
A trip to the shops turns into an ordeal in an Islamic State stronghold.
Syria: Defying Tradition to Join the Revolution
Conservative values make it harder for women to take part.
After Syrian Army's Defeat, People Trickle Back to Idlib Towns
Displaced people find their homes battered by three years of fighting.
Syria: My Friend the Martyr
An activist disappears, and those left behind can only wonder as to his fate.
Revolution Compounds Hardships Endured by Syrian Widow
“I used to daydream about my future.”
Syria: My Brother, the Martyr
A family is forced apart by conflict.