UNOCHA indicated that due to the escalation of hostilities in north-east Syria in January 2026, 116 900 individuals remain internally displaced across Aleppo and Hasaka governorates as of 4 March 2026, with women and children accounting for approximately 89 % of the total displaced population. Displaced women and girls in north-east Syria face increased risks of gender-based violence (GBV) due to overcrowded and poor shelter conditions and economic hardship, while access to specialised GBV services was limited or unavailable.815
Displaced women, especially those without family support are increasingly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.816 Poor living conditions, overcrowding and difficulties to access to basic services in camps and temporary shelters increased exposure to GBV risks.817 According to UNOCHA, women and girls are less likely to safely access humanitarian assistance and essential services compared to men and boys.818
Women and girls continue to face restrictions on movement,819 due to insecurity, including explosive ordnance contamination,820 and strict cultural and social norms.821 These restrictions disproportionately affect internally displaced women822 and female-headed households.823
- 815
UNOCHA, Syria: Humanitarian Response in Aleppo and the North-East, Humanitarian Situation Report No. 4 (As of 4 March 2026), 8 March 2026, url, pp. 1, 2, 8
- 816
GCHR, Syria, End of an Era: From the Fall of Brutality to the Rise of Uncertainty, 21 May 2025, url
- 817
UNOCHA, Syrian Arab Republic: Humanitarian needs and response plan, 2 April 2026, url, pp. 11, 19; UNFPA and GBV AoR, Voices From Syria 2025, 14 October 2025, url, pp. 20, 34, 47, 97, 108
- 818
UNOCHA, Syrian Arab Republic: Humanitarian needs and response plan, 2 April 2026, url, p. 30
- 819
UNHCR, Coming Home: One Year Into Syria’s Transition, 11 December 2025, url, p. 15; UNFPA and GBV AoR, Voices From Syria 2025, 14 October 2025, url, pp. 10, 24
- 820
UNOCHA, Syrian Arab Republic: Humanitarian needs and response plan, 2 April 2026, url, p. 38; UNFPA and GBV AoR, Voices From Syria 2025, 14 October 2025, url, p. 15
- 821
DK, DIS, Syria: Situation of Certain Groups, December 2025, url, p. 43; UNFPA and GBV AoR, Voices From Syria 2025, 14 October 2025, url, pp. 21, 24
- 822
UNOCHA, Syrian Arab Republic: Humanitarian needs and response plan, 2 April 2026, url, p. 38
- 823
UNOCHA, Syrian Arab Republic: Humanitarian needs and response plan, 2 April 2026, url, p. 38; GPC, Protection Monitoring: Summary of Key Findings (September to November 2025), 14 January 2026, url, p. 2