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Among the #Alawite_women_kidnapped by #Ahmad_al-Shar's forces and their fate is unknown.
#Rawan_Rasud #Naway_Sheikh #Shaban_Mansour
kidnapping of Alawi women and girls by #Ahmad_al-Shara_forces and sexual torture of women and girls in Syria .Thousands of Alawite women, girls, and teenagers have been kidnapped in Syria, and some of them have been killed under torture by ISIS forces in Al-Jolani.
Syria: UN experts alarmed by targeted abductions and disappearances of Alawite women and girls.
GENEVA – UN experts* today expressed grave concern over alarming reports of targeted abductions, disappearances, and gender-based violence against women and girls, particularly from the Alawite community in the different regions of the Syrian Arab Republic since February 2025. to today 17.11.2025
They expressed serious concern at the reported abduction of 38 Alawite women and girls belonging to the Alawite minority across various governorates, including Latakia, Tartous, Hama, Homs, Damascus, and Aleppo from March 2025 until present. The victims, aged between 3 and 40 years old, were reportedly abducted in broad daylight while travelling to school, visiting relatives, or in their homes. In several cases, families received threats and were discouraged from pursuing investigations or speaking out publicly.
“The pattern of violations described – involving gender-based violence, threats, forced marriage of minors, and a glaring lack of effective response by Syrian interim Government – suggests a targeted campaign against Alawite women and girls based on intersecting grounds,” the experts said.
The experts stressed the disturbing accounts of some victims being drugged and physically assaulted during captivity. Although the lack of survivor-sensitive and safe reporting mechanisms makes it difficult to verify incidents of sexual violence, the experts stressed that such abuse could not be ruled out. Reports of forced child marriage were particularly alarming.
“Syrian interim Government reportedly failed to conduct timely and impartial investigations in most cases, and in some instances, refused to register complaints or dismissed families’ concerns,” the experts said. “Such inaction not only deepens the trauma experienced by victims and their relatives but also fosters a climate of impunity,” they said.
“These cases reflect a broader pattern of violence against different groups of women and girls in Syria, exacerbated by insecurity, social fragmentation, and the erosion of rule-of-law institutions,” the experts said.
Several cases reportedly involved security actors or individuals affiliated with the institutions of the interim Government of Syria. “Authorities have an obligation under international law to protect all women and girls from violence, provide effective remedies, and ensure access to justice, protection and assistance, including psychosocial support,” the experts said. “The targeting of minority women and girls, in particular, shows that they are particularly at risk of violence, which calls for urgent remedial action.”
The experts reminded the Syrian interim Government of its obligation to search for disappeared persons and urged it to conduct prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations into the allegations, identify and prosecute perpetrators, and ensure the safety and rehabilitation of survivors. They also called for the establishment of safe, gender-sensitive reporting channels and the appointment of female investigators.
They called on the interim Government to end this pattern of violence and restore trust in the justice system. “All women and girls – including those from religious and ethnic minorities – have the right to live in safety and dignity,” they said. “The need to protect them is particularly urgent given the continued attacks on minorities in Syria, including a recent incident in Suweida, where dozens of civilians from the Druze community were killed by unidentified gunmen, among them two women and two children.”
The experts are in contact with the interim Government of the Syrian Arab Republic on these matters.
Syria: Authorities must investigate abductions of Alawite women and girls
The Syrian government must urgently step up efforts to prevent gender-based violence and promptly, thoroughly and impartially investigate cases of abducted and kidnapped Alawite women and girls, and hold perpetrators accountable, Amnesty International said today.
Since February 2025, Amnesty International has received credible reports of at least 36 Alawite women and girls, aged between three and 40, abducted and kidnapped across Latakia, Tartous, Homs, and Hama governorates by unidentified individuals. From these cases, Amnesty International documented the abduction and kidnapping in broad daylight of five Alawite women and three Alawite girls below the age of 18.
In all but one of the documented cases, police and security officials failed to effectively investigate the women and girls’ fates and whereabouts. On 22 July, the fact-finding committee established by President al-Sharaa to investigate killings on Syria’s coast stated that it had not received any reports of girls or women being abducted.
“The authorities in Syria have repeatedly promised to build a Syria for all Syrians, yet they are failing to stop abductions and kidnappings of women and girls, to prevent physical abuse, forced marriage and likely trafficking in persons, to effectively investigate and to prosecute those responsible. The Alawite community, already devastated by previous massacres, has been deeply shaken by this wave of abductions. Women and girls are afraid to leave the house or walk alone,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
In all eight cases documented by Amnesty International, families reported to police or security services that their female relatives had been abducted and kidnapped. In four cases, new evidence provided by families was dismissed or never acknowledged. Families consistently received no updates on the progress of the investigations. In two cases, police and security officers blamed the family of the woman or girl for the abduction.
In one case, the abductor sent a family a picture of their relative, who appeared physically beaten. In two cases, the abductor or an intermediary demanded ransom from the families ranging from $10,000 to $14,000 (USD). Only one of these families was able to pay, but the woman was not released by the captor. In at least three cases, the abducted person, including in one case, a minor, was likely subjected to forced marriage by the captor.
Many interviewees said that women and girls, primarily from the Alawite community, but also others living in the affected governorates, are now afraid or extremely cautious when leaving their homes to attend school, university, or work.
An activist who recently visited Syria’s coastal region said: “All women are on full alert. We can’t take a taxi alone, walk alone, or do anything without feeling afraid. Even though I’m not Alawite, and my family was initially skeptical about the abductions, they still asked me not to go anywhere alone and to be extra cautious.”
We call on the Syrian authorities to act swiftly and transparently in locating missing women and girls, bringing perpetrators to justice, and providing affected families with timely, gender-sensitive and credible information and support.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
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