On the move

The Syrian Women's Political Movement held its first press conference in Damascus on January 8, 2025. For the first time, the movement’s members spoke about their political project and vision for the future. Women from inside Syria and from countries of asylum were participating.

Even as of early 2025, women are facing new challenges in different parts of the world, especially the Middle East, a region whose crises never end—from Syria to Lebanon and Palestine, all the way to Yemen, Iraq, and Sudan.

As the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah approaches its second month, Lebanese men and women continue to grapple with their losses—mourning the dead and rebuilding their lives. Amidst this turmoil, a new struggle has emerged: homes destroyed and livelihoods shattered, placing a fresh burden on Lebanese women as they devise simple, practical solutions to make their homes liveable once more.

During the fall of the Assad regime, Syrian journalist Rahada Abdoush was attending a press conference in Jordan. As soon as the crossing was opened, Abdoush insisted on returning to Syria to celebrate the fall of one of the bloodiest regimes of modern times. She tells us the details of her journey from Jordan to Syria and describes the celebrations she witnessed upon her arrival.

Our WhatsApp group, MedFem News, woke up on Sunday, December 8 to the incredible news: “Bashar al-Assad has fled Syria! Damascus has been liberated!” The euphoria was contagious, but the hope expressed by the members of the group was not without worry.

She was 19 years old when she was thrown into one of Assad’s prisons. Now out of prison, she is 34 and has four children. She does not know who the father is. This is the story of one of the female prisoners who have just been released from Syria’s dungeons.

Week after week, Gisèle P. faces her rapists: the odious denial of most, the abject suspicion of the defense lawyers. Meanwhile, the number of people who again took to the streets on Saturday, October 19, to show their support, is growing.

After the Israeli war broke out across various parts of Lebanon, forcing large parts of the population to be displaced in search of safer areas, many women launched initiatives to support displaced women and provide them with the necessary solutions and supplies to help them overcome this crisis.

Tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes in the south of the country, the Bekaa, and the southern suburbs of Beirut, areas targeted by bombings and attacks for months. Yet, 23 September marked the most violent day, with Israel launching approximately 1,300 strikes, according to the National News Agency, as diplomatic solutions remain elusive for Gaza and Lebanon.

Washington, D.C. – Formerly incarcerated women from across the United States, together with their families and allies, marched on Wednesday, April 24 in the nation’s capital a few weeks ahead of Mother’s Day in the US, with an urgent message for President Joe Biden: bring moms home for Mother’s Day, and stop building new federal prisons for women and girls. Invest the money in communities instead, so they can thrive and heal.