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.
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.
