Every year on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, attention is drawn to the increasing violence against women. However, the world merely witnesses this violence.
A recent report compiles the toll of violence against women in Syria based on data from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Amnesty International, and the Stop Killing Syrian Women Platform.
Increase in femicides
From the day Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) came to power in Syria until the date of the report’s publication, 650 people, i.e. two people per day, were killed in areas under HTS control. According to SOHR data, among them were 127 women killed by armed groups affiliated with the Transitional Government’s Ministry of Interior.
In Suwayda alone, 130 women were killed.
Most of the 520 killings from explosions caused by war remnants, random gunfire, revenge, or sectarian conflicts took place in the Damascus, Hama, Homs, Latakia, Tartus, Idlib, and Aleppo regions.
Despite the alarming situation, there is no organization documenting violations against women in the region, while the transitional government is also blocking access to information.
Over 100 women have been kidnapped or gone missing
Dozens of women have been kidnapped in various cities across Syria. No investigation has been conducted nor any inquiry launched to determine the fate of the kidnapped women.
According to data from Amnesty International and the Stop Killing Syrian Women Platform, at least 36 Alevi women aged between 3 and 40 have been abducted in Latakia, Tartus, Homs, and Hama since February 2025.
Eight of these abductions have been clearly documented, which included five women and three children. Still, security forces have not launched any investigations.
According to reports from Suwayda, 65 women have gone missing in southern Syria since the beginning of this year. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented 97 people being abducted or going missing since January.
Political neglect
In addition to physical violence, Syrian women constantly face political neglect. Despite their historical roles in all areas of life, women, who had faced never-ending restrictions during the Baath era, could only hold symbolic positions in the regime’s institutions.
After the regime was overthrown, women were completely excluded from the political process during the transition period.
Women in Syria were granted the right to vote in 1949 and were elected to parliament for the first time in 1958. However, women’s representation in parliament remained very weak, with female representation during the Baath era remaining between 6 and 13 percent.
In the first elections held for the so-called “People’s Councils” of the Syrian transitional government, female candidates won only 6 of the 119 seats, despite a 14 percent turnout.