Compulsory Service for Women?

Women may now face compulsory service in Syria, according to an unofficial local news page, writes Sowt Al-Asima.

Local outlets circulated news saying that the Ministry of Defense in the government of the Syrian regime began studying the possibility of applying the compulsory service law to women, while international agencies denied the reports.

As per unofficial local news pages, the period of compulsory service for women won’t exceed 18 months.

According to word on the street, service for women will take place in fixed and safe spots. There is talk about paying a service fee for some of them.

There was no immediate or official clarification from the regime’s government regarding the news, which has been circulating since March 17. 

However, Agence France-Presse (AFP) published a news story last Thursday in which it stated, citing Syrian official sources, that the news was “unfounded.”

According to AFP, “it seems that the news about recruiting women into compulsory service was circulated by pages as sarcasm, later turning into fake news.”

Syrians expressed their fears that the news might actually be true, especially that there is a possibility of exemption from service in exchange for a fee, which the economy of the collapsing regime is in need of, according to reports.

Sowt Al-Asima detected sarcasm on social media, as people said the decision won’t go under advisement. 

Among those who were apprehensive and cynical about the news are those who questioned the reason for the Ministry of Defense’s silence about the matter and the fact that it has not issued an official statement clarifying the matter. 

From 2013 through 2016, 10,000 women volunteered in multiple factions to fight alongside the regime, according to estimates published by the Russian agency, Sputnik.

Women have had the right to voluntarily enroll in the war colleges of the Ministry of Defense since 1981, but there has never been an imposition of compulsory service on them.

 

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.

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