2.9.4. Sexual and gender-based violence

A SNHR report released in November 2025 recorded 11 583 cases of sexual violence against women since March 2011, with forces affiliated to the former Syrian regime accounting for 69 % of all recorded incidents.832

Gender-based Violence (GBV) remain widespread in Syria.833 As noted in a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and GBV AoR report, women face multiple and increasing forms of gender-based violence (GBV) following the fall of the Assad regime.834 According to a UNOCHA analysis conducted at the end of 2025, out of some 8.6 million people requiring GBV assistance in Syria, 85 % are women and girls. Intimate partner violence, psychological violence, economic violence, early and forced marriage, and sexual exploitation remained ‘persistent concerns’.835 Sources interviewed by the Swedish Migration Agency in September 2025 assessed that physical violence against women within the household increased and became more normalised, particularly as growing numbers of returnee women were required to share accommodation with extended family members or relatives. Sources also noted a reinforcement of traditional male gender roles, which has been associated with increased levels of physical and sexual violence, including forms of intimate partner violence such as marital rape.836 According to UNHCR, returnee women from abroad were reported to face heightened exposure to GBV, such as violence and harassment, in certain areas ‘linked to negative perceptions and social stigma, including views of them as more “liberal”’.837

Barriers to effective GBV reporting persisted in the form of constrained mobility, limited access to protective services,838 social stigma, legal and procedural obstacles, fear of reprisals, and lack of trust in legal mechanisms.839 According to GBV experts, ‘some signs of improved access’ to justice and protection were observed, however institutional support remained highly localised and inconsistent, depending on the individual context and personal networks.840

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) was ‘widespread’841 and increasing across Syria.842 Forms of TFGBV reported included online harassment, threats, disclosure of personal information and extortion, with women with a higher online visibility, including journalists, facing higher risk to be targeted.843 A report by UNFPA and Gender-Based Violence Area of Responsibility (GBV AoR) noted that there is an absence of legal and enforcement frameworks, while access to tailored TFGBV services, including legal and psychosocial support and digital safety trainings, is limited.844 Fear of stigma and societal blame further leads many women to self-censor, resulting in restriction or withdrawal from digital engagement and avoidance of visible career opportunities.845