Sara Orgs. launches campaign to protect women from cyber violence

Sexual exploitation and blackmail, including cyber, is defined as behavior based on the abuse of influence or power or the use of threats and coercion, including the threat of publishing sensitive personal photos or information with the aim of pressuring the victim to obtain benefits. This behavior is a flagrant violation of human dignity and individual rights.

Several cases of sexual blackmail have been recorded in various areas of North and East Syria recently. To limit their spread before they increase, and based on the need to raise community awareness, Sara Organization for Combating Violence Against Women launched an awareness campaign entitled "Sexual Exploitation is a Crime... Don't Cover It." The campaign began in late July and will conclude in early October.

The campaign aims to highlight cyber violence and address it through awareness-raising activities, psychological support sessions, and legal advice for affected women.

Field Offices and Support Services

Through ten offices distributed throughout North and East Syria, Sara works to combat various forms of gender-based violence, including domestic violence, forced marriage, sexual assault, harassment, and sexual and electronic blackmail. These offices include expanded centers in Hasakah and Raqqa, and an active center in the Ashrafieh neighborhood of Aleppo, in addition to mobile field teams that reach rural areas and camps.

Sara also provides comprehensive services, including individual and group psychological support, legal support, social awareness, and victim protection throughout the entire complaint process, while ensuring complete confidentiality. It also oversees vocational and educational training programs to empower women economically and assist in their reintegration into society.

The organization works in coordination with courts, legal authorities, and local councils. It also builds partnerships with local and international organizations to promote a culture of protection and justice and provide a safe and supportive environment for women and young women in the areas where it operates.

Regarding cyber-extortion, the organization provides support to victims through awareness-raising, legal advice, and accompaniment, with the aim of preventing the spread of these cases and protecting women and young women from their risks.

Psychological Support and Legal Accompaniment Until the End

In a special statement to ANHA's agency, Sara Organization spokesperson Rasha Darwish explained that the campaign came in response to the results of a field study conducted during the first half of 2025, which revealed that 4 out of 10 women were subjected to violence or cyber-extortion, equivalent to 40%. This percentage, she described as "very worrying," indicates the magnitude of the problem within society.

She added: "Through follow-ups, statistics, and complaints we have received, we have observed that cyber blackmail has become one of the most prominent reasons that drive some women, especially young women, to consider suicide. This is due to a lack of community awareness and a fear of filing a complaint due to prevailing societal stereotypes.

To ensure that we reach the largest possible segment of those affected, the campaign targets both genders and includes distributing awareness leaflets, organizing awareness sessions and lectures, and hanging banners in various cities and towns across the region. All of the organization's offices participate in implementing the campaign on a regular basis over the course of two months.

Rasha also confirmed that the organization receives daily complaints, especially from young women between the ages of 13 and 16. It follows up on these cases in coordination with their families, especially mothers, and informs them of the situation in all its details. The case is then referred to the region's courts, although some families, she said, sometimes back down and drop their claims "for fear of society's harsh views of these cases."

Despite these difficulties, the organization systematically monitors cases and provides them with psychological support through individual, confidential sessions with psychologists, with the aim of overcoming the trauma and erasing the effects of the abuse. Rasha recounted the success story of a young woman from the Newroz camp who was subjected to extortion while working as a loader. With the organization's help, she was able to legally confront her attackers and undergo psychological treatment. She is now leading a normal life and learning sewing alongside other women who have experienced similar abuse.

Rasha concluded her remarks by emphasizing that the campaign will continue for the next two months and that the organization, with all its offices in the region, will continue its efforts to break the silence, support women psychologically and socially, and hold perpetrators accountable through the judiciary. She called on all women to turn to women's organizations and not hesitate to file complaints, to ensure their rights in a just society that protects them from violence and guarantees justice and dignity.

It is worth noting that Sara Organization accompanies women throughout the entire complaint process, from the moment of reporting until the verdict is issued, by providing legal and psychological support and ensuring complete confidentiality. It also follows up on cases after referral and communicates periodically with judicial authorities to ensure that the case is not closed before all procedures are completed.

Legal Protection for Women:

Regarding the legal process followed to protect women, Alaa Satam, a lawyer from the Qamishli branch of the Social Justice Council, explained to ANHA agency that the current Family Law constitutes the basic framework for protecting women. It consists of 38 articles that address women's rights and guarantee their rights at both the public and private levels, in addition to provisions contained in the Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure.

She added that cybercrimes, including blackmail, remain outside the scope of currently applicable laws, but there are proposals and discussions underway to issue specific legislation to regulate their handling. She noted the numerous cases of blackmailing women through images, applications, and electronic software, stressing that the Council is handling these cases within the available legal capabilities.

She explained that Sara's organization is a recognized legal party in cases related to women. It has the right to file claims, provide evidence, documents, and memoranda, and participate as a member in relevant lawsuits.

The lawyer emphasized that the resolution of these cases goes through stages, starting with the communes and the Women's House and reaching the Social Justice Council, where cases are considered confidentially, taking into account societal privacy and prevailing mentalities. Furthermore, after conviction, perpetrators are subject to legal penalties that may include long prison terms.

She concluded by emphasizing that women's cases are given special priority in legal proceedings and are exempt from any fees, as part of supporting women and alleviating their legal burdens.

The "Sexual Exploitation is a Crime... Don't Participate in Covering It Up" campaign is a bold and necessary step in confronting one of the most serious and silent problems in our societies. Through awareness, accompaniment, and support, Sara's organization seeks to build a societal culture that rejects the normalization of violence and provides women and young women with a safe space to reclaim their rights. While the campaign continues, the real challenge remains breaking the barrier of fear, raising awareness, and ensuring that victims are not turned into criminals in the eyes of society, but rather into survivors who must be treated with justice and protection.

ANHA