2.9.1. General overview of violations against women
The protracted conflict in Syria has exacerbated gender inequalities, exposing women and girls to increased violence, displacement and discriminatory legislation.783 Women continued to be excluded from decision-making in the new transitional government and to have a limited role in political processes.784 Although several women were appointed to transitional justice bodies, only one woman was appointed to a ministerial position,785 specifically as the minister for social affairs and labour.786 Following indirect parliamentary elections in October 2025, only six women were elected,787 representing approximately 4 % of seats in total788 and marking a decrease in women's representation.789
According to SNHR, at least 29 358 women and girls have been killed in Syria between March 2011 and November 2025, over 75 % of them attributed to the security forces of the Assad regime.790 Following the fall of the Assad regime, reports of women being killed by armed actors791 or as a result of armed clashes792 continued.793 However, the majority of the 312 women fatalities documented by SNHR in 2025794, and the 27 recorded during the first quarter of 2026795, were attributed unidentified perpetrators and landmines.796
According to several Syrian human rights and non-governmental organisations, the situation of women in Syria reportedly varies significantly depending on their sectarian, regional and socioeconomic background.797 Specifically, non-Sunni women ‘appear more vulnerable, especially when their identity is visible through appearance or behaviour’, and most cases of discrimination, harassment and abuse against women were reported from minority areas.798 Similarly, women in smaller towns and rural communities often live under stricter cultural norms and rely on family networks for protection.799
Throughout 2025, disappearances800 and abductions of Alawite women and girls, have been reported.801 According to the Syrian Feminist Lobby (SFL), an advocacy group for women's rights, the disappearance of more than 80 women, mainly Alawite, has been recorded between February 2025 and December 2025.802 In July 2025, at least 36 women and girls, aged 3 to 40, were reportedly abducted, with several incidents occurring in broad daylight, by unidentified individuals across multiple governorates including Latakia, Tartous, Hama, Homs,803 Damascus, and Aleppo.804 In several cases of abductions members of the security forces or individuals affiliated with the government were reportedly involved.805 Some women were released following the payment of ransom demands.806 Those held in abduction reportedly faced physical assault, sexual violence, and forced marriage.807 According to sources, police and security forces failed to conduct effective investigations on these cases,808 occasionally refusing to register complaints or dismissing families’ concerns.809 In November 2025, the MoI’s spokesperson stated that following an investigation, only one out of a total of 42 reported cases was confirmed as an abduction,810 attributing the other cases to reasons, including fleeing from domestic abuse, elopement, or ‘false claims on social media’.811
In the context of the July 2025 violence in Sweida governorate, violations against Druze women were reported, including killings, detentions,812 sexual violence and abductions.813 As noted by the UNCOI, between July and November 2025 eleven Druze women and four girls were abducted and subsequently released, with perpetrators allegedly including tribal fighters and Internal Security Forces (ISF) personnel.814
- 783
UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, 12 March 2026, url, para. 33; HRW, World Report 2026, Syria: Events of 2025, 4 February 2026, url
- 784
UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, 12 March 2026, url, para. 33; Conversation (The), Women played key roles in Syria’s revolution. Now they’ve been pushed to the margins, 14 July 2025, url
- 785
UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, 12 March 2026, url, para. 33
- 786
BBC News, Syria's only female minister pushes for change: 'I'm not here for window dressing', 2 February 2026, url; Conversation (The), Women played key roles in Syria’s revolution. Now they’ve been pushed to the margins, 14 July 2025, url
- 787
UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, 12 March 2026, url, para. 33; Reuters, First results for Syria's new parliament show low share for minorities, women, 6 October 2025, url
- 788
BBC News, Syria's only female minister pushes for change: 'I'm not here for window dressing', 2 February 2026, url; IPU, Syrian Arab Republic, [2025], url
- 789
HRW, Syria: One Year Since Assad’s Fall, 8 December 2025, url
- 790
SNHR, On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: Strengthening Participation of Women in the Transitional Phase in Syria to Guarantee Their Rights and Justice, 25 November 2025, url, p. 2
- 791
SNHR, Monthly report for victims of extrajudicial killing in Syria, 1 January 2026, url, pp. 2-3; SOHR, Assassinations and retaliation-driven murder crimes: 22 children and 40 women among 1,301 people killed since fall of Al-Assad regime, 8 November 2025, url
- 792
ANHA, 80 children, 51 women killed in Syria since beginning of 2026, 16 March 2026, url; UNOCHA, Syrian Arab Republic: Flash Update No. 1 - Escalation of violence in Aleppo (as of 07 January 2026), 7 January 2026, url, p. 1; SHRC, December Report on Human Rights Victims in Syria, 1 January 2026, url; SOHR, Death toll update: Four children and women among 15 people killed in clashes and bombardment by Israeli forces in Beit Jinn, 28 November 2025, url
- 793
SNHR, Monthly report for victims of extrajudicial killing in Syria, 1 January 2026, url, pp. 2-3; SOHR, Assassinations and retaliation-driven murder crimes: 22 children and 40 women among 1,301 people killed since fall of Al-Assad regime, 8 November 2025, url
- 794
SNHR, Monthly report for victims of extrajudicial killing in Syria, 1 January 2026, url, pp. 2-3
- 795
SNHR, Quarterly Report on Victims of Unlawful Killings in Syria, 1 April 2026, url, pp. 3-4
- 796
SNHR, Monthly report for victims of extrajudicial killing in Syria, 1 January 2026, url, pp. 2-3; SNHR, Quarterly Report on Victims of Unlawful Killings in Syria, 1 April 2026, url, pp. 3-4
- 797
DK, DIS, Syria: Situation of Certain Groups, December 2025, url, pp. 43-44
- 798
DK, DIS, Syria: Situation of Certain Groups, December 2025, url, p. 43
- 799
DK, DIS, Syria: Situation of Certain Groups, December 2025, url, p. 44
- 800
BBC News, I would scream in my sleep: Women from Syria's Alawite minority tell of kidnap and rape, 18 February 2026, url; OHCHR, Syria: UN experts alarmed by targeted abductions and disappearances of Alawite women and girls, 23 July 2025, url
- 801
UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, 12 March 2026, url, para. 69; AI, The State of the World's Human Rights; Syria 2025, 21 April 2026, url; Reuters, 'She's not coming back': Alawite women snatched from streets of Syria, 27 June 2025, url
- 802
BBC News, I would scream in my sleep: Women from Syria's Alawite minority tell of kidnap and rape, 18 February 2026, url
- 803
AI, Syria: Authorities must investigate abductions of Alawite women and girls, 28 July 2025, url; OHCHR, Syria: UN experts alarmed by targeted abductions and disappearances of Alawite women and girls, 23 July 2025, url
- 804
OHCHR, Syria: UN experts alarmed by targeted abductions and disappearances of Alawite women and girls, 23 July 2025, url
- 805
BBC News, I would scream in my sleep: Women from Syria's Alawite minority tell of kidnap and rape, 18 February 2026, url; OHCHR, Syria: UN experts alarmed by targeted abductions and disappearances of Alawite women and girls, 23 July 2025, url
- 806
AI, Syria: Authorities must investigate abductions of Alawite women and girls, 28 July 2025, url; Reuters, 'She's not coming back': Alawite women snatched from streets of Syria, 27 June 2025, url
- 807
AI, Syria: Authorities must investigate abductions of Alawite women and girls, 28 July 2025, url; OHCHR, Syria: UN experts alarmed by targeted abductions and disappearances of Alawite women and girls, 23 July 2025, url
- 808
AI, The State of the World's Human Rights; Syria 2025, 21 April 2026, url; BBC News, I would scream in my sleep: Women from Syria's Alawite minority tell of kidnap and rape, 18 February 2026, url
- 809
OHCHR, Syria: UN experts alarmed by targeted abductions and disappearances of Alawite women and girls, 23 July 2025, url
- 810
AI, The State of the World's Human Rights; Syria 2025, 21 April 2026, url; BBC News, I would scream in my sleep: Women from Syria's Alawite minority tell of kidnap and rape, 18 February 2026, url
- 811
BBC News, I would scream in my sleep: Women from Syria's Alawite minority tell of kidnap and rape, 18 February 2026, url
- 812
UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, 12 March 2026, url, paras. 78, 79
- 813
UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, 12 March 2026, url, paras. 78, 79; Denmark, DIS, Syria: Situation of Certain Groups, December 2025, url, p. 43
- 814
UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, 12 March 2026, url, para. 79