ALEPPO, Syria — Coinciding with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, launched a campaign aimed at educating Syrian women in opposition-controlled areas in northwestern Syria about breast cancer. 

The campaign, dubbed “Don’t Delay It,” focuses on the importance of early detection and self-examination and the impact on recovery rates, according to an Oct. 7 post on the White Helmets’ Facebook page.

Fatima Obeid, coordinator in charge of the women's centers affiliated with the White Helmets, told Al-Monitor, “The long-standing war waged by the Bashar al-Assad regime has had very negative effects on the Syrian people. Women have been the biggest victims of this war. Not only have they faced bombings, displacement and loss of their breadwinner, they also lost access to health-care facilities.”

She noted, “Amid the dire living circumstances in northwestern Syria, women's physical health is no longer a top priority. Women’s health care has become unavailable, especially in camps where large numbers of Syrians lack the minimum life necessities. Securing food and getting enough water and heating materials [for the winter season] are more pressing needs now.”