In Pictures

Syrians mark Women’s Day in Idlib cellar

About 150 women take part in event honouring female leaders of the protest movement, as war rages across country.

Dozens of women mark IWD in Idlib — About 150 women in Idlib province met in the cellar of a building to mark International Women's Day.

Despite the raging war in their country, women in a small Syrian village wanted to be part of the International Women Day commemoration.

About 150 women in Idlib province met in the cellar of a building they had embellished with banners calling for freedom and Syrian revolutionary flags.

Large gatherings are held in this cellar to protect the participants from shelling and stray bullets.

The local women’s centre, Mazaya, organised the event and honoured women who were at the forefront of the protest movement against the government of Bashar al-Assad.

Mazaya was founded in 2013 to train dozens of women in workshops ranging from literacy to first aid, sewing, languages and computer skills.

“Ever since the revolution became armed, people started forgetting that women were at the forefront of protests, holding banners and screaming slogans before the men,” Ghalia Rahhal, the head of Mazaya, told Al Jazeera.

“We cannot marginalise these women and forget about them. This event was held to honour them.”

Women were presented with symbolic gifts in recognition of their activism during the protest movement.

One of the honourees, Saadia al-Mawas, said she will not give up the struggle against oppression, despite the arrest of one of her sons and the death of another.

Once a leader of protests in her village in Idlib, a woman narrates her memories of the early days of the uprising.

Women watch short film — During the event, a short film showcasing the participation of women in the protest movement was shown.