(MENAFN - Jordan Times) Syrian women gathered outside their country's embassy in Amman on Monday in solidarity with protesters back home.
During the demonstration, organised by the Syrian Women's Association (SWA) in Jordan in cooperation with the committee coordinating support for the opposition in Syria, protesters chanted slogans against Syrian President Bashar Assad, waved the Syrian resistance flag and carried banners denouncing the crimes committed by the regime.
Hanaa Ghusban, a member of the SWA, said Syrian women have always joined men in previous demonstrations outside the Syrian embassy, but decided this time to hold their own protest in support of women in Syria.
She indicated that the demonstration was also a good opportunity to highlight the difficulties women who sought refuge in Jordan are facing.
Officials estimate that the Kingdom hosts about 100,000 Syrians who fled the increased violence in their country, while the number of registered Syrian refugees in Jordan has topped 10,000.
"When women move to Jordan, most of them do not have money or clothing and the only thing they have is their passports. They are also forced to leave their homes without their children or husbands, who have been either detained or killed by the regime," she told The Jordan Times during the demonstration.
Ghusban explained that women in the Bashabsheh housing complex for displaced Syrians in the city of Ramtha are facing a particularly hard time.
"Some of the rooms are not clean and others are not suitable for women to look after their children," she added.
Ghusban indicated that the SWA is working hard to provide displaced families with basic furniture and other household items.
"We receive donations from Jordanian individuals and charities. We provide families with basic items such as food and blankets," she said.
Yamani Osama, another member of the SWA, explained that the association is also holding several moral support sessions for these families.
"We try to help them forget the traumatic events they faced back home since the beginning of the bloody crackdown. We also record these incidents," added Osama, who is also a member of the Syrian National Council.
Meanwhile, the protesters expressed outrage over rights violations they said the Syrian regime is committing against women.
Syrian protester Ruba Turkmani said women are exposed to great danger.
"Women are being killed, raped and detained. They also lost their children or husbands who were hunted down or jailed," the 20-year-old told The Jordan Times during the demonstration.
Another protester, Alaa Najar, 19, took part in the demonstration by painting the Syrian resistance flag on the faces of women and children at the protest.
"I express my feelings through painting. We hear horrible stories a friend of mine went to register at the university and she did not return home because she was detained," the Amman-born Najar said.
Najah Ibrahim, who left her home during the 1980s, explained that women endured great pain over the years because of the regime.
"My father was arrested in the 1980s and I do not know whether he is still alive. I was forced to leave Syria at the age of 26 with my husband because we were scared. Now my children want to visit Syria and I hope that we can do it someday," she said.
Meanwhile, children dressed in military uniforms also participated in the demonstration.
Nine-year-old Ali Amir said that he wore a uniform to express his support for the Free Syrian Army.
"I have written 40 songs in support of protesters in Syria. I do not like to play or join my friends because the only thing I want to do is to write songs for Syria," he said.
