Noor* has travelled to Damascus from Madaya, a small town in the mountains surrounding the Syrian capital. Her nails, painted black, are visibly bitten as she moves her hands while she speaks. Her home became known around the world in 2016 when it was under siege by Bashar al-Assad’s forces – with no food to eat the starving population was forced to survive on leaves and grass.
After the brutal Assad regime was ousted by opposition forces in December 2024, many Syrians celebrated the fall of the longtime dictator, but just a few weeks later the only women’s center in Madaya closed down. It would have devastating consequences for the local women, including Noor, 21. The center was her only safe space to escape a violent family home.
