Syria: up to 751women, child, femicide in HTS areas

In this report, timed to coincide with the approach of this day, we focus on the intensification of violence against women in Syria.

ANHAagency relied on data and reports from the Syrian Human Rights Observatory, the "Stop Killing Syrian Women" initiative, and Amnesty International. We conducted an analysis and summary of the most significant statistics and documentation that reveal an aspect of the catastrophe's magnitude, at a time when the actual numbers are likely much higher than reported. 

The Rise of Murders Against Women

Since Hayat Tahrir al-Sham assumed control in Syria, and up to the time of this report's publication, 650 women have been killed in areas under its control, averaging two women killed every day. Among the victims, 127 women were summarily executed by armed groups affiliated with the Interior Ministry of the interim government, according to documentation by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

In Swedia alone, 130 women, including children, were killed, part of a total of nearly 1,500 victims during the bloody events of July.

The majority of the other 520 murders were concentrated in Damascus and its countryside, Hama, Homs, Latakia, Tartus, Idlib, and Aleppo. The causes varied, including explosions from war remnants, indiscriminate gunfire, and assassinations motivated by revenge or sectarianism, in addition to murders resulting from domestic and social violence.

Despite the severity of the situation, Syria still lacks specialized organizations that systematically document violations against women, due to the lack of transparency and the difficulty of accessing information.

More than 100 women abducted and missing

Dozens of Syrian women and girls have disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind families living in anguish and uncertainty about their fate. From the coast to the south, from major cities to the desert, a continuing tragedy unfolds, with women subjected to abduction and various forms of violence, amidst a lack of serious investigations to reveal their fate or whereabouts.

According to Amnesty International and the "Stop Abducting Syrian Women" platform, at least 36 women and girls from the Alawite community, aged between 3 and 40, have been abducted by unknown individuals in Latakia, Tartus, Homs, and Hama since February 2025.

Among these cases, eight abductions were documented in broad daylight, involving five women and three girls under the age of 18, while security forces failed to launch genuine investigations or locate the detainees.

In southern Syria, local reports in Swedia document the disappearance of 65 women since the beginning of this year. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also documented the disappearance or abduction of 97 people, including women, since last January, noting the difficulty of accurately confirming the figures due to a lack of information.

Systematic Political Marginalization

In addition to physical violence, Syrian women suffer from continuous political marginalization. Despite their historical presence in public life, their role under the Ba'ath regime remained limited to symbolic loyalty, lacking genuine autonomy in decision-making. Women's presence in high-ranking positions was merely a cosmetic facade for the regime.

After the regime's fall, women were completely excluded from effective political participation during the transitional period. Historically, Syria witnessed early female participation in parliamentary life; women were granted the right to vote in 1949 and entered parliament for the first time in 1958 during the union with Egypt. However, despite this legacy, their parliamentary representation remained limited, fluctuating between 6% and 13% under the Ba'ath regime, before declining further prior to its collapse.

In the first transitional elections for the so-called "People's Assembly" under the interim government, only 6 women won out of 119 seats (approximately 5%), even though 14% of the candidates were women. This weak representation stems from the indirect electoral system, the absence of a women's quota, and social constraints and gender exclusion in both rural and urban areas.

This decline reflects the persistent structural and historical challenges to integrating women into political life and decision-making, amidst the dominance of patriarchal power structures that control the levers of Syrian society.

Where to?

Syrian women today face an extremely complex stage, caught between promises of equality and a reality that perpetuates exclusion and violence. In addition to kidnapping, threats, and online defamation, their political and civic presence continues to be marginalized.

The most important question remains: Where will the struggles of Syrian women lead after all they have sacrificed during the years of the revolution?

Today, they stand at a crossroads: either to surrender to the constraints of the new authority or to continue on the path of resistance, demanding their rights and participating in drafting a constitution that guarantees justice and equality in the future Syria.

ANHA