Women, year from fragility, violence, declining in their role

Syria has witnessed a significant increase in murders, kidnappings, domestic and social violence since the change of power on December 8th, along with the targeting of women in areas of sectarian and political conflict.

Hundreds of women have been killed so far, including minors, and dozens of others remain missing under mysterious circumstances. At the same time, women's participation in public and political life has clearly declined, amidst official policies that restrict women's freedom and confine their presence to a symbolic realm far from actual decision-making.

This report aims to shed light on the difficult conditions faced by women in areas under the control of the transitional government, by monitoring the number of killings and abductions, crime locations, and the dimensions of social and political violence, in addition to analyzing the status of women in official institutions and their participation in decision-making, in an unsafe transitional environment that does not provide adequate protection for their rights.

Syrian women between murder and disappearance... Tragic numbers and images

Since the transitional government took over in Syria, 650 women have been killed, including 29 girls, in crimes that varied in their causes, ranging from explosions resulting from war remnants and random gunfire, to targeted killings with a vengeful or sectarian nature, in addition to murders resulting from domestic and social violence.

And the crimes against women were concentrated in the cities under the control of the transitional government, such as Aleppo, Damascus, Homs, Hama, the countryside of Damascus, Daraa, Tartus, Quneitra, Latakia, Sweida, and part of Deir ez-Zor under its control.

Murder

Aleppo: 31 women, including 2 girls. Damascus: 14 women, including one girl. Homs: 34 women, including 8 girls. Hama: 36 women, including 3 girls. Daraa: 23 women, including 5 girls. Tartus: 48 women, including 5 young girls, were executed in the field. Latakia: 16 women. Deir ez-Zor: 28 women, including two children. In Swedia, 34 women were killed, including two children. In the countryside of Damascus, 29 women were killed, including one child.

In addition to 127 women, who were executed in the field by armed groups affiliated with the Ministry of Interior in the transitional government, according to documentation by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

In the coastal events, the Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the killing of 100 women, including children and young girls, and in the events of Sweida, 130 women, including young girls.

Kidnapping and Disappearance

Since February 2025, reports have begun to speak of a wave of kidnappings targeting Alawite women in sensitive sectarian conflict areas such as Homs and its countryside, then Hama countryside and the Syrian coast. These acts are driven by sectarian motives and political interests, where women have been turned into tools for extortion and domination. These operations have escalated following the bloody massacres that affected Alawites on the Syrian coast in early March of last year and continue to this day.

In July of last year, a new chapter of abductions began, as Druze women were kidnaped following an attack by the transitional authority forces and their affiliated groups on Swedia. Since those events, the fate of the abducted Druze women remains unknown, with their number being around 100 women.
According to Amnesty International and the "Stop the Kidnapping of Syrian Women" platform, at least 36 women and young girls from the Alawite sect, aged between 3 and 40 years, have been kidnaped 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 eighteen, amidst the security forces' failure to conduct real investigations or determine the locations of detention.

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

Exclusion of women from real decision-making spaces

Since the new authority took power in Syria and entered a tumultuous transitional phase, it has turned into an environment charged with chaos and escalating violence.

In this climate, the hopes of Syrians were high in building a state based on law and justice, but women found themselves at the heart of the conflict, where their bodies were sometimes used as tools of pressure and bargaining within the new power equations.

This phase witnessed a clear marginalization of the feminist movement, with the rejection of even the simplest demands of women and the refusal to adopt concepts such as democracy or international agreements on women's rights. Strict social restrictions were imposed, such as wearing the hijab or niqab, and the segregation of genders in universities and public transportation.

Where Syrian women lost important leadership positions, including the role of Vise President, several ministerial seats, and leadership positions in the People's Assembly and public administrations, it has become rare for a woman to hold the position of General Director or Deputy Minister, in the absence of sufficient institutional and legislative support to ensure their effective participation in public life.

Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics indicates that the number of women in Syria is estimated to be around 11.88 million for the year 2024. Conversely, female representation remains limited and timid, as some women have secured seats thru what is known as the "Women's Affairs Office," while other activists continue to demand protection from violence and abduction quietly.

Despite calls to implement "women's quotas" to ensure fair representation, the reality of social and political stereotyping of women's roles continues, even after systemic changes. Currently, the only female minister, Hind Qabwat, holds the position of Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, which reflects a representation rate of no more than 5%, compared to 22 male ministers. Meanwhile, international standards indicate that the women's quota should ensure a representation of no less than 30%, highlighting the weak participation of Syrian women in political life and decision-making.

 Women's activity

Women's activities have been limited to individual efforts and personal denunciations of violations, away from any coalitions or general organization. In Sweida, the establishment of "Bashan Free Women Movement" was announced on November 22 of this year. It aims to enhance women's participation in society, defend their rights, and empower them, with a special focus on the issue of abducted women and community work.

The "Free Women of Bashan Movement" is the first women's organization to be established in Sweida, following the suffering and the violations and injustices women have endured during the past period, especially during the bloody events of July.

In an unprecedented move in southern Syria, Sweida witnessed the formation of a women's army comprising more than 500 women, aimed at enhancing self-defense capabilities amid the city's fluctuating security conditions. They hail from various towns and villages in Sweida, and their training was concentrated in four main areas: Shaqqa, Shahba, Qrayya, and Malh.

The training included military basics, self-defense, first aid, and the use of light weapons, in addition to enhancing physical fitness and personal discipline.

ANHA