Kvinnor vittnar om svälten i syriska Darayya

Den syriska regimen har i mer än tre år belägrat Darayya, en förort till Damaskus med åttatusen invånare. FN:s personal är stationerad på ett hotell bara en mil från Darayya men regimen i Syrien har nekat FN att föra in humanitär hjälp i området.

I ett öppet brev vittnar nu kvinnor och kvinnoorganisationer i Darayya om den desperata situationen och bristen på mat. invånarna kokar buljong på gräs och örter och ammande kvinnor saknar mjölk i brösten på grund av näringsbristen.

Medan männen i Geneve förhandlar om freden i Syrien visar kvinnorna nu sitt motstånd på plats i Darayya. Trots miserabla förhållanden har kvinnorna vågat sig ut för att be om hjälp från omvärlden. Vi delar deras öppna brev - och påminner om Badael Foundations och Kvinna till Kvinnas rapport ”Peacebuilding defines our future now”, om kvinnors outtröttliga kamp för fred i Syrien på gräsrotsnivå.

För mer information, kontakta Anna-Carin Hall 0733-609125

anna-carin.hall@kvinnatillkvinna.se

THE LETTER :

We are women in the besieged town of Daraya and we are writing to you with an urgent call to save our town.

The Syrian tragedy continues along with its repetitive scenes of violence and siege. Our town has witnessed the worst of bombing and destruction and cruel siege for over three consecutive years. Civilians have had to pay the price under the policy of starvation.

The area is witnessing a shortage of all of the basic necessities, from the very simple, such as table salt, to the more complex, such as the ability to communicate with others. This has gotten much worse since Daraya was cut off from the neighboring town of Moadamiyet Al Sham. The town was closed off completely in the face of fleeing civilians. We were left with a population of 8,000. There was no life outside of the basements because of the fear of being bombed. After the recent cessation of hostilities, calm returned to the town. Still, there is no life outside of the basements because all the buildings have been brutally destroyed. We’re appealing to all who see this, near and far: we need immediate assistance.

There is no food at all in Daraya. There are cases of malnutrition and we have resorted to cooking soups made purely of spices in order to stave off hunger. There are signatories to this letter that have not eaten for at least two days – some longer. There is no baby milk and no breast milk due to malnutrition. Even something as simple but as necessary as dish washing liquid is unavailable. There are no cleaning supplies in order for us to ensure hygiene and keep diseases away.

We the women of Daraya call for:

– An immediate lifting of the siege from all sides of the town

– The opening of the roads and the entry of basic necessities, from food and medicine to drinking water, clothes, shoes and cleaning supplies

We call on the United Nations and all humanitarian and relief organisations to enter the town immediately and deliver humanitarian aid to all those affected as quickly as possible.

We appeal to journalists to write about Daraya and shed attention on the plight of our town before mass starvation takes. We are on the verge of witnessing deaths from starvation. The infants and the elderly will be the first to succumb. Please take action before it is too late.

https://diary.thesyriacampaign.org/an-urgent-call-from-the-women-of-the-besieged-town-of-daraya/