Enab Baladi – Ruba Abbas

Hala al-Hamad, a 20-year-old young woman from the countryside of Qamishli city in Syria, carries a crate of bottled water from a truck, trudging under the tiring pace of long hours into a warehouse crowded with crates of groceries, a job she has been doing for seven years. Al-Hamad explains that necessity drove her to it.

Wiping her sweaty forehead, al-Hamad, in her local dialect, describes her life to Enab Baladi, saying, “I opened my eyes to orphanhood and problems, moving between tents and dilapidated housing,” which pushed her to “any job” to meet her family’s needs.

The young woman states she stands for long hours and, along with her friends, loads two trucks a day on average, not counting external orders, and some weights they carry reach up to 25 kilograms, sometimes forcing them to climb stairs loaded with these heavyweights.

“Sometimes I feel like my back is broken,” al-Hamad said. Two years ago, she went to the National Hospital and was diagnosed with a back fracture.

She paid 200,000 Syrian pounds at the hospital, equivalent to a week’s wages, and was advised to leave work and rest at home. Al-Hamad stopped working for two months.

She returned to the job she was used to because she had no choice, and the employer was a “good person,” and because the porting provided her with an income that “helps but does not solve the situation.” She earns 40,000 Syrian pounds a day (2.7 USD). But if she wanted to buy some vegetables and bread, the daily wage would be gone an hour after receiving it.

Al-Hamad’s hardship began ten years ago when her father passed away, and her youngest brother was only two years old. She worked in agriculture for five years while living in Daraa, and at 13, she returned to Qamishli to start working in loading and unloading (porting), a job she continues to this day.

Though working as a porter, the young woman dreams of living a dignified life without needing anyone.

“I work to support my children”

On the other side of the warehouse, a woman in her thirties, “Athari” (a pseudonym), covers her face with a “laṭma” (a veil) and sits on bags stacked with sugar to rest from the day’s hard work.

Athari, aged 36, stated that she lives in an unfinished house in Qamishli with her brother’s family, who have replaced the doors and windows with fabric and nylon.

She mentioned that she divorced her husband about five years ago after getting married at 14 and has five children.

The woman with tired features, tinted with the summer’s sun, admits she succumbed to reality, working as a porter to buy necessities for her children.

Despite enduring the strain and weight of goods, she confesses that she sometimes cannot even buy clothes for two of her children due to the high prices.

“My vocal cords are damaged, and I need surgery,” she complained, lacking anyone to support her, forcing her to take any job. In a hoarse voice, she said, “I am tired of crying and complaining, and no one looks at my condition.”

The harm of uterine prolapse

For years, the phenomenon of women engaging in strenuous work has increased in Qamishli. It has become common to see dozens of girls unloading trucks loaded with various types of food goods, owned by wholesale merchants, in jobs unsuitable for women’s bodies and detrimental to their health.

Gynecologist Maryam al-Ali told Enab Baladi that repeatedly lifting heavy objects might lead to uterine prolapse since any pressure on the pelvic muscles supporting the uterus could cause its descent.

She added that carrying heavy items could strain the muscles supporting the lower back, potentially causing muscle tension and minor tears in the muscle fibers, especially if the effort is significant on the lower back.

The doctor generally does not advise women to perform heavy lifting or carry heavy objects regularly, as a woman’s body undergoes many changes that can affect pregnancy and childbirth in the future.

Calls for protecting working women

There is currently no women’s labor union in northeastern Syria, especially in Qamishli, nor do working women have health cards or any measures to reduce treatment costs for them since there is no complaint center in case of exploitation, despite the widespread prevalence of unions and associations defending women’s rights.

Some charities have attempted to find alternatives for women working in strenuous jobs. They have opened workshops teaching women’s sewing and setting up small workshops supplied with primary materials like fabrics and threads to produce clothes sold in local markets or refugee camps, with part of the sales benefiting the workers. However, these workshops remain “insufficient” for generating a decent family income.

Feminist activist and media figure Avin Youssef told Enab Baladi that jobs like porting do not suit women physically, socially, or health-wise. Despite studies proving that women endure stress more than men, it remains unhealthy because of their physical limitations.

The activist mentioned that Syria has been experiencing deteriorating economic conditions due to the conflict for 13 years, local currency devaluation against foreign currencies, and increased poverty rates, forcing most family members, including women, to work.

She believes ending the Syrian conflict to restore economic stability is the solution to this escalating problem. The necessity compels these women to work beyond their capacity.

Youssef urged activists, those working in women’s protection, and civil society organizations to raise awareness and pressure authorities to enact laws protecting working women, especially in the private sector, ensure their rights are preserved and implemented on the ground, and achieve wage equality between genders. Additionally, training courses should be increased to provide job opportunities for the largest number of women.

Does the law protect them?

Lawyer Tarfa Muhammad Misto told Enab Baladi that any worker exploited financially can file a lawsuit in Autonomous Administration courts as “trial proceedings exist in Autonomous Administration courts concerning civil cases.”

According to the lawyer, if a woman faces exploitation, she should file a complaint with the conciliation committee and report the oppressing person. The committee will summon that person, try to resolve the issue, and submit a report to the court through the execution authority. “This report is ratified there to become a court ruling and acquire enforceable status.”

If no agreement is reached at the conciliation committee or the other party fails to appear, the committee submits its report to the court, allowing the woman to file a lawsuit supported with witnesses and documents, proving the accused abused her rights. If she can substantiate this, justice will be served, according to the lawyer.

Regarding health insurance, the lawyer clarified that the employee law imposes health insurance but has yet to be fully implemented. Even Autonomous Administration institutions do not benefit from it, except Internal Security Forces.

The lawyer regretted the absence of health insurance, which would ensure the rights of workers should they face any job-related injury or other issues, hoping specific laws related to women’s work in the private sector would be enforced.

Despite the Autonomous Administration ratifying the Family Law about a year ago, only a few clauses are currently active, related to rape, child marriage, and polygamy.