LÎNA EL-XETÎB 

Idlib- Girls, who are forced into marriage to members of armed factions in Idlib, have to live with wounds on their bodies and in their memories throughout their lives. NuJINHA spoke to some of these girls, who are subjected to systematical harassment, rape and violence. 

She was forced into a marriage to a man 15 years older than her 

17-year-old Hanan Al-Obaid is one of these girls. In 2021, she was forced into a marriage to a man named Ebu Dujana. She told us her “marriage” lasted a year. “After my father passed away, he proposed to me. He was 15 years older than me. I told my mother that I wanted to study. However, I had to accept his proposal because he was a member of an opposition group in Idlib. Marriage is just a cover to hide many things.” After a year, she filed a divorce lawsuit, “because I was constantly subjected to harassment and violence. Now, I am a divorced woman and face many challenges.” Hanan Al-Obaid now lives in one of the camps in Idlib. 

 ‘My parents approved the marriage’ 

15-year-old Baraa Hamada is a displaced girl and a victim of forced marriage. She was forced into marriage to a member of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib. “He proposed to me by taking advantage of our poverty and my father's disability. My parents immediately approved the marriage because he was a rich man. He had a house while we were living in an IDPs camp. My parents wanted me to have a better life away from camp. However, he married another woman within six months of our marriage. Then, my life turned into hell. I told my parents that I wanted to break up with him and continue my education. However, my parents did not accept, saying, ‘He is a rich man so he has the right to marry twice. You cannot ask a divorce for such a reason’.” 

She tried to kill herself 

20-year-old Ola Al-Darbas from the city of Harem was forced into a marriage to a Tunisian man, who is a member of an armed group. She tried to kill herself when she faced pressure to marry him. “Because I knew what I would face when I married him. I did not want to marry a man, who can be killed at any moment. My father forced me into marriage and now I have to pay the price for the rest of my life.” 

Parents marry off their daughters to have a better life. 

Psychologist Jamila Al-Othman noted that the displaced people living in camps marry off their daughters to have a better life. “Since the people living in camps face financial difficulties and deteriorating living conditions, they have to marry off their daughters at an early age. The parents see their daughters as an economic burden so they marry off their daughters to lighten the burden on them. The victims of forced marriage experience psychological problems. Most of them are subjected to sexual, physical and psychological violence. We need centers specializing in promoting the rights of women children, holding awareness-raising activities on the risks of forced marriage, giving a space to victims of forced marriage to share their stories.”