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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/nov/27/syria-war-shattered-society-shock-damaged-country-women-building-peace-mouna-ghanem
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| We pressed pause the day we had to leave Syria. The shock never goes away | We pressed pause the day we had to leave Syria. The shock never goes away |
| (4 months later) | |
| I am a medical doctor and a proud Syrian woman. I was born and grew up in Damascus. We stayed for as long as we could but were forced out in 2012. We pressed pause the day we left. Since then, I have divided my life across different countries. My children are in Denmark and I work in Lebanon. I feel as if our lives are on hold. Many days I do not know how to feel. My only dream is to go back and start from where we left off. I am not ready to move on. | I am a medical doctor and a proud Syrian woman. I was born and grew up in Damascus. We stayed for as long as we could but were forced out in 2012. We pressed pause the day we left. Since then, I have divided my life across different countries. My children are in Denmark and I work in Lebanon. I feel as if our lives are on hold. Many days I do not know how to feel. My only dream is to go back and start from where we left off. I am not ready to move on. |
| What people do not always understand is that the shock of being forced from the place you call home does not really ease over time. I love Beirut, but every single day I miss the smell of Damascus air. It is a physical ache that never goes away. I have become a different person too. The uncertainty I have seen and the thin line I have witnessed between life and death have completely changed how I think. I have less patience but more understanding. I know dozens of friends and relatives who have died and too many to count who have been injured. At least half a million Syrians have already been killed because of this war. That is not something any of us will ever forget. | What people do not always understand is that the shock of being forced from the place you call home does not really ease over time. I love Beirut, but every single day I miss the smell of Damascus air. It is a physical ache that never goes away. I have become a different person too. The uncertainty I have seen and the thin line I have witnessed between life and death have completely changed how I think. I have less patience but more understanding. I know dozens of friends and relatives who have died and too many to count who have been injured. At least half a million Syrians have already been killed because of this war. That is not something any of us will ever forget. |
| Yet, for the first time in many years, I have the tiniest glimpse of hope that I can go back. And, like everyone else I know, I am ready to help bring my country from the brink of devastation. I feared the day might never come. | Yet, for the first time in many years, I have the tiniest glimpse of hope that I can go back. And, like everyone else I know, I am ready to help bring my country from the brink of devastation. I feared the day might never come. |
| Since 2014, Islamic State (Isis) has built up a presence in every province in Syria. It was a major shock for me to see how quickly every corner of my country was transformed from part of a peaceful nation into what has become a wasteland in many ways. Now that Isis is being forced out, I am terrified that there will be something else to take its place. | Since 2014, Islamic State (Isis) has built up a presence in every province in Syria. It was a major shock for me to see how quickly every corner of my country was transformed from part of a peaceful nation into what has become a wasteland in many ways. Now that Isis is being forced out, I am terrified that there will be something else to take its place. |
| I know, too, that in many ways the Syria I hope to return to will be a completely different place. Half of us have been displaced in some way. More than 5.3 million of us have been forced out as refugees and another 1.2 million are seeking safety in Europe. | I know, too, that in many ways the Syria I hope to return to will be a completely different place. Half of us have been displaced in some way. More than 5.3 million of us have been forced out as refugees and another 1.2 million are seeking safety in Europe. |
| Those who have stayed have also endured heartbreak. Thousands of Syrian women and girls have been raped and many gang-raped. Their stories will probably never be heard. It seems unlikely that any of them will get justice. Yet, the involvement of women like them in government and in other ways is how we can ensure that peace will take hold. | Those who have stayed have also endured heartbreak. Thousands of Syrian women and girls have been raped and many gang-raped. Their stories will probably never be heard. It seems unlikely that any of them will get justice. Yet, the involvement of women like them in government and in other ways is how we can ensure that peace will take hold. |
| I decided to do what I can to make sure that Syrian women are heard. I set up the Syrian Women’s Forum for Peace (SWFP) to bring us together and demand that we are listened to. The next step is holding a Syrian women’s summit. The UN is encouraging women to be involved in building peace in Syria, but I have seen what happened in Libya and Afghanistan. There are always good intentions, but we are always left out when it comes down to it. | I decided to do what I can to make sure that Syrian women are heard. I set up the Syrian Women’s Forum for Peace (SWFP) to bring us together and demand that we are listened to. The next step is holding a Syrian women’s summit. The UN is encouraging women to be involved in building peace in Syria, but I have seen what happened in Libya and Afghanistan. There are always good intentions, but we are always left out when it comes down to it. |
| I know too that apart from some media outrage now and again – such as the dramatic photo of three-year-old Alan Kurdi on a Turkish beach – the world has mostly forgotten about us. What was once shocking has become commonplace. When this war ends, I know that it is very likely that we will be mostly left to ourselves. The bulk of the work to rebuild our country will be done by Syrian people. Reconstructing houses, hospitals, offices, roads and everything else will be a massive challenge. | I know too that apart from some media outrage now and again – such as the dramatic photo of three-year-old Alan Kurdi on a Turkish beach – the world has mostly forgotten about us. What was once shocking has become commonplace. When this war ends, I know that it is very likely that we will be mostly left to ourselves. The bulk of the work to rebuild our country will be done by Syrian people. Reconstructing houses, hospitals, offices, roads and everything else will be a massive challenge. |
| But we have been through so much and are more resilient than ever before. We are ready to do this. I hope I will get the chance very soon. | But we have been through so much and are more resilient than ever before. We are ready to do this. I hope I will get the chance very soon. |
| Mouna Ghanem is co-founder of the Syrian Women’s Forum for Peace (SWFP), the Syrian partner of international group Donor Direct Action | Mouna Ghanem is co-founder of the Syrian Women’s Forum for Peace (SWFP), the Syrian partner of international group Donor Direct Action |
| Conflict and arms | |
| Women's rights and gender equality | Women's rights and gender equality |
| Syria | Syria |
| Middle East and North Africa | Middle East and North Africa |
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