The SAM Organization continues to be interested in the demands of the people of Deir Ezzor directly by holding dialogue sessions with all society classes, especially women, considering cases that are crucial to society, diagnosing problems, searching for solutions, and providing suggestions that eliminate problems.
At 10:30 a.m. on March 24, 2021, the SAM Organization held a dialogue session with 15 women from different society classes, including the Women’s Council, teachers, a representative of the Agriculture Directorate, and housewives.
Mrs Safaa al-Nimr the manager of the SAM Organization’s office in Hajin initiated the session delivering a speech. Mrs. al-Nimr introduced the organization and projects it implemented and supported.
Later, Fatima, the facilitator of the session, asked the attendees the following question: What is minors’ marriage?. Several attendees replied, as Nada, the representative of Agriculture of the Women’s Council said: “Minors’ marriage or early marriage happens when girls get married at little age, hence being unable to assume responsibilities.” Mrs. Muna from the Reconciliation Committee added that minors’ marriage happens when girls get married under 18 years old. Mrs. Nada Jasem al-Ali, the administrative official of the Women’s Council said that minors are still children so how come they get married and give birth to children and raise them?
Later, Ms. Safaa talked about the reasons for early marriage.
Several attendees replied, as Fatima al-Salem, from the Women’s Council Administration, said: “Among the reasons that encourage families to have their daughters married are the families’ greed for dowry and money they receive in return for getting their daughters married.”
Ms. Amal, the representative of Martyr Abboud all-Lawha Council, had a different opinion, which is: “One of the reasons for early marriage is polygamy that results in many daughters in the same family, which forces fathers to get their daughters married at little age to rest from the burden of providing their needs.”
Ms. Nada, the representative of the Agriculture Directorate added: “Recent war and poor conditions the residents of the area experienced like displacement forced families to get their daughters married while minors.”
After the attendees’ interventions ended they agreed on the reasons for early marriage as the following:
- Wrong customs and traditions that marriage protects girls who were born to be married.
- Poverty and poor financial conditions.
- Ignorance and spread of wrong concepts among parents that marriage protects girls.
- Persecution, coercive immigration, and displacement.
- Lack of birth control amidst large numbers of family members.
- Fathers’ unemployment and lack of job opportunities in the area.
- High and tempting dowry that grooms pay, forcing the parents to ignore their daughter’s age and age difference with the groom.
After diagnosing the main causes of early marriage, Ms. Fatima, the session facilitator talked about the results of early marriage. Attendees replied as the following:
Ms. Fatima, an administrator of the Women’s Council sees that “Early marriage implies physiological results due to husband’s and sometimes parents’ pressure girls undergo. Such pressure could push the girls to commit suicide and this has really happened in our society.”
Ms. Nada, a member of the Women’s Council said: “No doubt that among the results of early marriage is a high percentage of divorce in society, as the victims are minors.”
Ms. Nada, the representative of the Agriculture Directorate, said: ”Early marriage causes immature girls organic diseases, especially as they are unable to bear burdens of pregnancy and giving birth.”
Ms. Muna, the representative of the Reconciliation Committee, said, “Early marriage leads to low percent of competencies among girls due to getting them married, consequently depriving them from their right of education and work.”
After considering the problems and causes of early marriage, Ms. Safaa talked about suggested solutions to limit early marriage and received several opinions from attendees, as there was a lot of interaction because this problem is another scourge threatening the community structure. Teacher Boutheina demanded opening special centers to educate girls to limit early marriage.
Ms. Nada, the representative of the Agriculture Committee, stressed the need for girls’ attending school to get them busy with studying and distract them from thinking about early marriage.”
Ms. Fatima, from the administration of the Women’s Council, stressed the need for small projects to help poor families increase their income, hence getting rid of thinking about getting their daughters married while minors.
After listening to the attendees, the suggested solutions for early marriage were as the following:
- Increasing parents’ awareness about the risk and results of early marriage.
- Providing economic support and job opportunities for poor families to limit early marriage.
- Compelling parents’ to send their girls to school and finning all those who disobey.
Marriage, whether normal or early, has many problems leading to divorce, which is also one of the reasons for social disintegration. Ms. Fatima, the session facilitator, talked about divorce and its causes, and listened to the attendees’ opinions:
Ms. Fatima, from the Administration of the Women’s Council, said that one of the reasons for divorce is the husband’s unemployment which causes him to stay at home all the day, hence creating problems that result in divorce.
Teacher Boutheina said that spouses’ disagreement over financial affairs is one of the major reasons for divorce.
Ms. Muna, from the Reconciliation Committee, said that the absence of mutual understanding, different personalities in terms of habits and traditions, lack of love, and authority of one of the couples are reasons that push spouses to seek divorce.
Divorce has horrible effects on family and society in general. It has reasons and there are recommendations to reduce this phenomenon, and this is what the attendees reached through the dialogue session, that lasted for more than two and a half hours in this regard.
Ms. Siba, from the Training Committee of the Women’s Council, said: “Divorce implies psychological results that are negatively reflected on children, as parents’ separation causes the children’s school performance to decline and the same applies to their social relations with their friends.”
Teacher Boutheina added that divorce leads to family’s members’ separation and children embracing bad morals and habits.
But certainly every problem must have solutions to it, and this is what the attendees discussed at the end of the meeting, as they made suggestions and recommendations that should be taken seriously to work on:
- Holding awareness courses for men and women
- Supporting poor families financially
- Proving livelihood projects for uneducated women and needy families.
- Establishing centers special for reconciliation among couples.
- Establishing psychological instruction centers
- Establishing centers for supporting people with special needs
- Imposing compulsory education on girls.
- Dedicating awareness classes for girls in school in cooperation with educational centers.
