Legal Empowerment for 400 Women in Northwestern Syria
Between Juli-December 2023, we implemented a project to make laws work for Syrian women. We trained 10 local lawyers that, in turn, trained 400 IDP women on issues of basic human rights, women rights and specific aspects of Syrian law: marriage, divorce, registering children, property and inheritance. By making these 400 participants active partners in the process, rather than passive recipients of legal aid, we sought to break the cycle between exclusion, poverty and the law. Subsequently, the 400 Syrian women became empowered to solve most of their own legal problems in local courts and administrative institutions. We believe this approach to be simple, effective and impact oriented as envisioned by the UN-Commission for the Legal Empowerment of the Poor (CLEP, 2005-2008).
Supported by funds from the Federal Foreign Office through ifa (Institut fĂĽr Auslandsbeziehungen e.V.) in the zivik funding programme.
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Legal Advice and Services
FDSV e.V. offered legal advice and support services for Syrian citizens between 2015-2019, but only in regard to their needs in Germany. In 2021, we began to offer legal advice related to their legal needs within Syria itself. This activity is offered to all Syrian citizens who require legal support in the fields of personal status law, civil status law, real estate law and criminal law. In addition, we offer both legal advice and specific services for Syrian women and girls. This applies especially to victims of violence, sexualised violence, enforced marriage and polygamy. Our legal experts provide an assessment of individual circumstances, recommendations and/or referral to NGOs or volunteer lawyers that can support a lawful resolution in a neutral and qualified manner. If you want to apply for a legal service, please fill out this form and send it to us via email. In August 2021, we implemented a needs assessment (online) among Syrian citizens regarding their legal needs back home in Syria. Please find the results here. To participate in our study, please fill out this online form.