In Eastern societies, where customs and traditions intertwine with religious and social perceptions, women with disabilities or congenital conditions face compounded challenges that extend beyond physical or biological impairment to social and psychological exclusion. Discrimination stems not only from limited resources or the absence of supportive infrastructure but also from a social perception that reduces disabled women to mere embodiments of weakness, excluding them from roles in education, employment, and marriage.
In Syria, this struggle is particularly evident amid the overlapping crises that have affected all sectors of society but have imposed harsher consequences on women, who are often deprived of the most basic rights to a dignified life. This report sheds light on the reality of women in Syrian society, outlining the main challenges they face; from marginalisation within the family, through weak legal representation, to entrenched stereotypes that hinder their social integration.
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Between Challenges and Empowerment
According to journalist Dr Amal Jabbour, Syria, like many countries of the Global South, is undergoing a difficult phase of recovery after years of crisis, in which the new system seeks to rebuild both state institutions and society. Within this context, Syrian women strive to assert themselves in both private and public spheres. Disabled women, however, face a particular situation in which their difficulties are doubled by legal, social, and cultural barriers, requiring coordinated efforts to ensure empowerment and full inclusion.
Jabbour stresses that the rights of persons with disabilities in Syria fall within the general framework of human rights. They form part of the core economic, social, and cultural rights, including the right to education, work, and healthcare. Yet women with disabilities encounter social prejudice: they are often viewed as “weak” or “incapable” of fulfilling traditional roles such as marriage, motherhood, or employment. This perception is frequently accompanied by pity or excessive protection, while in some communities they are seen as a burden on the family, especially when disability affects their appearance or mobility.
Differences also emerge between disabled men and women. A disabled man is still seen as potentially productive, particularly if he is a provider, whereas a disabled woman is judged primarily through marriage and traditional roles, intensifying the stigma.
Jabbour identifies the main challenges facing disabled women in Syria: social stigma, discrimination in education and work, weak legal protection, and social isolation. Despite economic and political crises, the Syrian government has introduced a disability card granting access to healthcare services, preventive treatment, and educational benefits, such as priority for university housing, designated study places, and financial support for poor families caring for individuals with cerebral palsy.
She also points to economic empowerment projects, including vocational training, psychological support, and employment opportunities for women with disabilities who support families. Recent initiatives focus on political empowerment by involving disabled women in leadership positions, local councils, and national bodies, while strengthening their leadership and decision-making skills to ensure active participation in political life, independence, and self-confidence.
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Marriage and Professional Integration
Jabbour told +963 that society often perceives the marriage of a disabled woman as a burden rather than a right, based on the belief that she cannot handle family responsibilities. She attributed the lack of professional initiatives to weak awareness of the rights of disabled women, the absence of clear employment and support policies, and limited funding for NGOs; despite new official policies announced in this area.
She emphasises that supportive families play a vital role in enhancing disabled women’s education, independence, and social participation, while stigmatising families undermine self-confidence. Likewise, societies that provide opportunities for integration into education, work, and cultural activities enable disabled women to develop skills and independence, whereas conservative communities perpetuate isolation and deprivation.
According to UN reports, nearly 2.6 million people in Syria live with some form of disability: physical, sensory, intellectual, or psychological. This figure represents about 17% of the population, significantly higher than the global average, reflecting the devastation the war has inflicted on both bodies and minds.
From Marginalisation to Demanding Citizenship Rights
Journalist and human rights activist Iman Abu Assaf, based in Suwayda, told +963 that it is crucial to recognise the broad disabilities generated by years of conflict, which take multiple forms. What began as a revolt against political authority has, through regional and international interventions, turned into a battlefield of competing interests. The Syrian people, who bear the cost, aspire to comprehensive change beginning with a constitution based on citizenship and a social contract, and continuing with laws that secure the full restoration of citizens’ rights.
Abu Assaf argues that rights, frequently recorded in party educational material, internal regulations, and early constitutions, remain mere slogans masking prisons, detentions, and violations. She questions how it is possible to speak of the rights of disabled women while they endure social marginalisation and entrenched patriarchal culture reproduced across all aspects of life.
Syrian law recognises persons with disabilities, grants them employment quotas, and provides social institutions to serve them. It also designs accessible facilities in public spaces and considers disabled women’s biological needs according to the type of disability. Disabled people engage in sport and receive healthcare adapted to their condition. Yet, according to Abu Assaf, widespread social destruction erodes these rights for most Syrians, leaving people with disabilities — particularly women — among the most vulnerable.
She highlights the experience of self-administration in North-East Syria, which has made notable progress in this field. Here, women’s movements play a central role in demanding non-discriminatory legislation for disabled women and work to integrate them, particularly when disabilities are physical and do not affect cognitive ability. Feminist activism strives to place disabled women at the heart of legal and social initiatives, rather than at their margins, on the basis that neglecting disabled people, especially women, constitutes a violation of both citizenship and human rights.
Abu Assaf calls for specific laws to guarantee the rights of disabled women in political, economic, and social participation, as well as in broader citizenship. She also rejects the term “persons with special needs”, which she regards as vague and imprecise, failing to reflect the variety and specificity of different forms of disability.
