Lower Thirds:
00:03 Report by, Aya Ibrahim & Rama Jarmakani 
00:14 Angela Khoury, Dentist
01:16 January 2025 
01:29 Muzna Duraid, Syrian women's rights activist 

Script: 
00:01
When the Assad regime fell last year, Angela Khoury saw an opportunity for her and other women to claim their place in the political arena.

00:11 (starts in off)
+++ SOT Angela Khoury, Dentist, Arabic +++
When the change happened, I felt it was possible for a new Syria to take shape. I thought I must contribute in some way to creating it. 
00:20
Angela is a dentist and was among the dozens of women who entered the race for Syria’s indirect parliamentary elections in September.
Out of 119 seats in the main stage of the election only six went to women, she was not one of them.

00:36 (starts in off)
+++ SOT Angela Khoury, Dentist, Arabic +++
There were a lot of discussions with my family about running. They kept asking, do you have the time? Can you do it? I have commitments at my clinic, work, and at the dentists’ association. There was a lot of back and forth, but in the end, I would say that women's presence on the electoral lists was accepted but somehow rejected at the same time. Men didn’t vote for women.

01:02
And it is not just the election results that have women concerned. 
Ever since the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, women’s rights activists like Mozna Dureid have warned against increased gender inequality in all aspects of life.

Last year, Mozna came back from Canada and along with other feminists, organised a conference on women’s political participation in Syria.
01:28
+++ SOT Mozna Dureid, Feminist Activist, Arabic +++
Women’s participation has been timid; that's the least we can say about it. Syria is going through a phase where there is almost hostility towards women's participation. This should not discourage us though. It should motivate us to continue. (...) What's most important today is to build political alliances, to build political diversity, and to build a political organization based on feminist visions.
02:02
Since the fall of the Assad regime, activists have also sounded the alarm on women’s safety in Syria.
Dozens of women have been kidnapped amid sectarian clashes.
The transitional government has been strongly criticised for not taking a firm enough stance against these acts of violence.

Angela says, this adds yet another hurdle to female participation in politics.

02:28 (starts in off)
+++ SOT Angela Khoury, Dentist, Arabic +++
I am involved in many women’s groups. Some of them reject what is happening here and do not participate because they do not want to legitimise the reality. I feel that is justified, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Then there are people like me who are determined to be part of the decision-making process and the existing equation.
02:58
Angela says she hasn’t given up.
In addition to the 119 seats in parliament, the transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa is set to appoint another 70. She wants to be one of them

03:11
+++ SOT Angela Khoury, Dentist, Arabic +++
Women shouldn't be like roses placed as decoration. We don't want to be decorations, and that's why we demand numbers. When there are two or three women, we can create an alliance, which, over time, leads to political action.
03:28
Syria's women are not just struggling for parliamentary seats. Their fight is about survival, safety and securing a future where their voices are heard
END 03:38
PIX END 03:40