During 2022, EFI continued their work to provide different platforms and spaces for discourse and advocacy initiatives, building capacity of Syrian organisations working on women´s rights, building networks between different actors and carrying out advocacy towards decision makers and international stakeholders.
EFI continued to provide safe spaces for activists to exchange knowledge and to build networks with decision makers and stakeholders.
During 2022 a total of 25 activities were implemented to strengthen the thematic knowledge on combating violence against women and girls including training, a media campaign of 16 days of activism to shed light and raise awareness on the violence women face in their life and to advocate for a comprehensive legislation to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG) in all it forms, a study trip to Tunisia, internships at women' s rights organisations, a lobby trip to Geneva, an advocacy event with media and CSOs etc.
Syrian activists continued to advocate for a gender sensitive reconstruction process that includes engendered legislative and constitutional process and that focuses on economic, social and political participation on women.
Advocacy tools were developed and 1 530 264 people were reached on social media during 2022.
A total of 74 407 people were reached on social media platforms by EFI's 16 days of Campaign on Zero Tolerance to violence against women and girls (VAWG). The videos showcased that despite discouraging facts, the continuum of violence against women and girls is preventable through education, prevention, awareness-raising and legislation.
A total of 87 activists (79 women and 8 men) from 40 organisations were trained on VAWG during 2022. 97,5 per cent indicated that they intend to share the knowledge gained. 100 per cent expressed satisfaction with the material provided.
According to EFI the activities have fundamentally contributed to increase the level of knowledge of Syrian activists and CSOs, to improve their advocacy and awareness raising strategies and to widen their networking and involvement of stakeholders and relevant decision makers in support of their demands to have womens participation and womens rights inseparable of the Syrian file.
A draft law on VAWG was prepared by 23 activists from 8 CSOs and a legal framework to comprehensively combat VAWG was prepared in collaboration with 28 legal experts from 6 organisations and endorsed by several other organisations.
Progress towards the objectives;
Indicator 1. Number of women running for decision making positions.
Syrian women have continued to advocate for leadership positions in UN-led negotiations and the constitutional committee has achieved nearly 30 per cent women representation. Despite lack of equitable representation in UN led negotiations, women continue to play a crucial role in driving local and regional initiatives that tackle the issues faced by detainees and IDPs. With the support of the program mediation, coordinated by women organisations, it has resulted in greater community acceptance of IDPs, more economic opportunities and reduced violence. There are several examples of important successful mediation efforts of women at the local level. Women' s involvement in local and regional communities which is crucial for recovery and reconstruction has developed while the role in national political decision making processes continues to be limited.
Indicator 2. Number of Syrian activists supporting engendering the reconstruction process
EFI partners continues to advocate for engendering all political processes in Syria including the constitution, legislation and social reconstruction. Reconstruction and early recovery has been the major concern for partners. In 2022 EFI started the work to develop a handbook on Gender Sensitive Reconstruction with the aim to understand reconstruction from a gender perspective addressing economic, political social and legal reconstruction. The book will be used as an advocacy tool.
Indicator 3. Level to which women's rights and gender equality are included in the transitional and reconstruction processes
Overall awareness raising of the public and capacity building of civil society has contributed to pushing women's rights and gender equality higher on the political agendas for both the regime and the opposition.
The Syrian government has decided to work on a family protection law (as a response to a public demand to for a law that protects women and girls from violence). The government has created a committee that is tasked to draft the law. As a response to this EFI and partners have drafted a framework on how to address VAWG in Syria and disseminated it to various activists and journalists in order to increase public awareness on the elements that are needed in a comprehensive law (criminalizing all forms of VAWG, providing services to victims, addressing impunity, raising awareness and enhance education, improve coordination of stakeholders.
