Among Ruins
Victòria Rovira Casanova
Among Ruins depicts the current situation of displaced women and those experiencing social exclusion, who struggle to survive with their children in bombed and ruined buildings in Raqqa (Syria). Families who have already fled their former homes in cities such as Palmyra or Deir al-Zor, which were occupied by ISIS, have no option to return.
The war that began in Syria in 2011 (ISIS and Civil War) has led to thousands of displaced people. Some live in refugee camps, while others have chosen to live in unsafe and dilapidated houses in exchange for low rent or for the opportunity to rehabilitate them. The living conditions for these families, especially for women, are very harsh. The buildings are increasingly deteriorating, and often there is no water or electricity. The fear of collapse, the cold, and the insecurity of external attacks constantly force them to seek better options, though always in destroyed buildings.
Among Ruins is just a part of an extensive photographic project started in 2021 on «women and conflict» in northeastern Syria. This report aims to shed light on women and war in the Rojava region (Syria) by showing two opposing faces. On one side, it reflects the struggle and empowerment of the militia women who have been present since the war began in Syria. On the other side, it shows how children and civilian women are those who have suffered the most from the war’s aftermath. This latter aspect is what Among Ruins presents.
