marriage contract makes registering children born to Syrian mothers almost impossible, due to failure to establish the child’s filiation in relation to the Syrian father. For this reason, the Ministry of Justice must instruct Shariah courts in Syria, which are competent to matters of filiation in accordance with the Code of Civil Procedure, to facilitate the procedures of establishing paternity. Under domestic law, the Syrian government has duties to ensure that “everyone [shall] have a name and a surname, and the surname shall be passed on to the person’s children,” according to article 40 of the Syrian Civil Code.58 Syria’s international obligations regarding lineage and nationality Women’s rights started evolving in the 1930s within the framework of the League of Nations. Since the United Nations came into existence, the feminist cause has notably taken on an international dimension, especially after the establishment of the Commission on Status of Women in 1946. In 1979, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the CEDAW59, as the international bill of rights for women. The Convention obliges States to guarantee equal political, social and civil rights, without distinguishing between men and women in the constitutions and domestic laws of the signatory States. 77 Many States had entered reservations on certain provisions of the Convention, which, as claimed, are contrary to the constitution or to Shariah laws. In turn, Syria had ratified the CEDAW, which stipulates in article 9, “States Parties shall grant women equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children.” However, Syria expressed a reservation to this article in legislative decree No. 330 of 200260, , for being contrary to Sharia law, without demonstrating these contraventions. 58 The Syria’s Civil Law promulgated by Legislative Decree No. 84 of 1949 59 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 60 Declarations, reservations, objections and notifications of withdrawal of reservations relating to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women- PAGE28 61 Consideration of reports submitted by States Parties under article 18 of the Convention on HUMANS WITHOUT RIGHTS The reservation was changed in the States Parties’ second report for the Committee on CEDAW, issued on 24/07/2012 in which it confirmed paragraph 22461. The report assured that “there is no contradiction between ar-