HEDÎL EL-ÖMER

Idlib- The exchange marriage is a marriage in which two families exchange their daughters as brides; a brother and sister from one family marry a sister and brother from another family. The exchange marriage and arranged marriage are still practiced by some local groups in Idlib. There are no official and certain statistics on the number of people who were forced into such marriages in Idlib. While activists think the reason for the spread of such marriages is the wedding expenses, the women, victims of such marriages, spoke to NuJINHA about what they faced.

“This cruel custom has separated me from my children”

28-year-old Renda El-Silêman, a victim of the exchange marriage, said, “After my brother left his wife, my husband left me, too. When a problem breaks out in a marriage, it also affects the other marriage. When my husband left me, he took my three children and I am not allowed to see my children now. I became a victim of my brother. As a divorced woman, I face many problems in society. This cruel custom has separated me from my three children. I have not been allowed to see my children for four months.”

“I was married to a man 15 years older than me”

Şeyma El-Teyfûr was married to a man 15 years older than her. “I have faced many family and marital problems due to the age difference between me and my husband. When I told my family about the problems faced by me, I was told, ‘He is your husband and you have to endure everything’. Women are victims of such customs and the will of women is ignored by society,” she told us.

“Women are deprived of their rights”

Psychologist and social counselor Howeyda Arefa (38) told us that the number of exchange marriages and arranged marriages are on the rise due to the war, economic crisis, social and cultural situation in Syria. Underlining that the women victims of such marriages suffer from psychological and social problems. “The women of Idlib are deprived of their rights because there is no law protecting them,” she said.