Women of Homs form armed brigade
21/06/2012 Asharq Al-Awsat
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=30064

London, Asharq Al-Awsat- A group of women from the city of Homs have
announced the formation of the “Banat al-Walid” battalion; the first female
armed organization to fight against the regime in Syria. A statement
declaring the formation of the battalion claimed that it was not affiliated
to any other organization or militant entity.

In a video posted by activists yesterday on the internet, a woman speaking
on behalf of around 10 other veiled women said: “we are a group of women
from Homs and we have formed the Banat al-Walid battalion”. She added that
“this battalion’s mission is to help the wounded and refugees wherever they
are, to train women to use various types of weapons to protect themselves
from al-Assad’s gangs, and to follow-up the regime’s crimes and ensure they
are published and exposed in the media”. As for the reasons behind the
formation of the battalion, the woman, who was reading the statement from a
computer, said: “crimes committed against the Syrian people in general and
women in particular, the forced displacement of unarmed civilians by
al-Assad’s gangs - forcing them to leave their homes and stealing their
property, and the continuing sniper attacks on the free Syrian people
carried out by the Shabiha, Iranian mercenaries and elements of Hezbollah,
despite the presence of international observers”. At the end of the brief
statement, the spokeswoman confirmed that the battalion “does not belong to
any other organization or militant entity”.

Although this is not the first time that Syrian women have declared their
intentions to bear arms, this is the first time that the formation of a
female “battalion” has been announced, with specific goals and tasks. About
a week ago, activists broadcasted a video showing a veiled woman from Homs
in a besieged neighborhood, sending a message to President al-Assad that the
women of Homs had become “impregnated” with weapons, concluding her message
by firing a gun she was carrying on her shoulder. However, this video did
not receive much publicity, hence yesterday came the announcement of the
formation of the “Banat al-Walid” battalion.

There are indications that the new battalion consists of female nurses and
doctors working in field hospitals in Homs, who have previously made frantic
distress calls after their hospitals were destroyed and it became difficult
to treat the wounded numbers. Despite this, they have never declared their
intention to surrender, stop their work or leave their besieged
neighborhood. Activists say that women in the besieged neighborhoods of Homs
are just as active as men in the areas of aid and relief, and that women are
at greater risk of kidnap and detention. In recent times the rate of
kidnappings has increased alarmingly and dozens of women have already been
subjected to horrific rapes and murder.

The Banat al-Walid activists sought to give their YouTube video a title that
would “challenge and humiliate the men who have remained silent about the
regime’s crimes”. Hence they named it: “Shave off your mustaches, the Banat
al-Walid battalion has been formed in Homs”, in the sense that the women of
Homs can defend themselves and do not need men.

Human Rights Watch confirmed in a report this week that “government forces
have used rape and other sexual violence against men, women and children
during the Syrian uprising”. The organization said that “it had recorded 20
incidents from interviews inside and outside Syria with eight victims,
including four women, and more than 25 other people with knowledge of sexual
abuse - including medical workers, former detainees, army defectors, and
women's rights activists”. Sarah Leah Whitson, Human Rights Watch’s Middle
East director, said that “the assaults are not limited to detention
facilities - government forces and pro-government shabiha militia members
have also sexually assaulted women and girls during home raids and
residential sweeps”.