Where chaos reigns and violence escalates, and where the threads of conflict, displacement, and chronic poverty intertwine, there remains a buried, faint voice that carries the weight of a humanitarian catastrophe: the voice of Syrian women.
With every social or economic change it faces, challenges are renewed, new problems arise, and those that already exist worsen.
Gender-based violence, as an example, may be perceived by some as merely a passing consequence of war, but reality reveals its transformation into a systematic phenomenon, deeply rooted in the collapse of society on all levels.
This violence has posed a threat to the existence and lives of millions of women, regardless of their roles. Their lives have become a minefield, ranging from murder and mutilation to arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance, and culminating in torture and sexual violence, thus perpetuating both psychological and social suffering.
The heavy price women pay to survive
Violence against women and girls in Syria has gone beyond the bounds of ordinary crime to become a weapon used to terrorize and destabilize society.
Statistics issued by human rights organizations shed light on a bloody reality, although the numbers do not tell the whole story.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) documented the killing of at least 29,064 females from March 2011 to November 2024.
Behind each of these numbers is the story of a family whose backbone was broken, and children who were orphaned.
Every woman represents a complete life, not just a number to be added, and I’m almost certain that the human mind cannot comprehend this number.
All of this is solid and conclusive evidence of the direct and systematic targeting of women in the context of conflicts.
At least 11,268 women remain under arrest and/or enforced disappearance.
In an attempt to imagine the extent of the suffering: years of anxiety and waiting, fading hope, and in the depths of prisons, detainees are subjected to multiple forms of physical, psychological, and sexual torture.
The SNHR has documented the deaths of 97 women under torture in Syrian regime prisons alone.
The enforced disappearance of a woman is a double punishment: a punishment for her and a punishment for her family, who live in a constant state of anxiety and anticipation.
In addition to sexual violence, which represents extended psychological and social violence, it has turned into a stigma that does not haunt the perpetrator, but instead haunts the already devastated victim.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights has documented at least 11,553 incidents of sexual violence against women. After their release, they face severe social stigma that makes them more isolated and limits their ability to reintegrate and seek help.
The devastating effects of the economic collapse and the exacerbation of poverty
The economic collapse in Syria is one of the most prominent factors that has exacerbated the risks of violence against women and girls.
The destruction of infrastructure, high unemployment rates, and currency devaluation have led to an economic situation that can only be described as catastrophic.
This situation has pushed many families into the abyss of dark poverty, and has affected women in particular; With men were absent or missing due to killing, arrest, or displacement, many women have found themselves the sole breadwinners for their families. They now constitute the largest segment of those deprived of basic resources.
Women have been forced to engage in unconventional and unsafe work in order to meet the minimum of their daily needs and perhaps those of their families, exposing them to additional risks of exploitation and violence in precarious working environments.
With rising living costs and declining formal job opportunities, women have turned to informal sectors such as agriculture, small trade, or working in restaurants and markets.
These sectors often lack legal protection, making them vulnerable to financial exploitation, harassment, and violence.
Working in unsafe environments, especially in conflict zones or camps, unfortunately increases these risks.
A child sells her childhood in exchange for relieving her family of the burden of hunger.
This tragic transformation exposes girls to serious health, psychological and social risks, and increases their economic dependence.
Early marriage rates have risen significantly among Syrian refugee women, confirming that the economic crisis is the hidden driver behind this form of systematic violence.
Violence against women: Partners violence and sexual exploitation versus survival
The increasing psychological and economic pressures on men, especially unemployment, have resulted in higher levels of violence against women or girls.
This is certainly one of the reasons, but not a justification.
With men spending more time at home, tensions rise and domestic violence escalates.
A report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) indicated that emotional violence was the most common form of violence reported among Syrian refugee women in Jordan and Lebanon.
This violence not only leaves physical scars, but also results in increased rates of stress and psychological distress, and in some cases may lead to suicide.
Survival sex represents one of the most horrific forms of violence imposed by economic collapse. Some women and girls are forced to make sexual compromises to obtain basic resources such as food, shelter, or humanitarian aid.
This bitter reality confirms that poverty is no longer just a material deprivation, but has become a coercive tool that increases the vulnerability of women and their exploitation.
Reflecting violence against women digitally: a space without walls
Where the boundaries between real life and the virtual world disappear, forms of violence against Syrian women multiply as if they were ghosts creeping through screens.
Fear is no longer confined to dark alleys or crowded camps, but now haunts them in their phones, in messages, and in pictures that can turn into a weapon that destroys reputation and dignity.
The digital space, which was born to be a window to freedom, has become a mirror reflecting the fragility and fractures of society, and an extension of the violence that haunts women everywhere.
Here, pressing the “send” button sometimes feels more like a bullet, and silence becomes a harsh choice in the face of boundless blackmail.
- Cyber harassment and blackmail: The increased use of phones and platforms amidst the isolation of displacement has created arenas for digital violence: abusive messages, stalking, posting photos without permission, and sexual blackmail through threats to expose content.
- Identity theft and defamation: Fake accounts target women’s reputations and use social norms as a weapon, which translates into social sanctions and domestic violence on the ground.
- Privacy breaches in poverty contexts: Reliance on shared devices and insecure networks exposes personal data to exploitation and makes it difficult to seek help without being exposed or punished.
- A feedback loop with reality: Digital violence triggers physical violence (threats, beatings, expulsion, forced marriage), and physical violence leads to digital isolation that increases susceptibility to further blackmail.
Building peace begins with reducing violence against women.
The catastrophe that Syrian women and girls are experiencing is not just a passing tragedy, but an existential challenge to the very concept of peace.
Peace cannot be built on the ruins of women’s dignity and rights.
The systematic violence we have documented, whether it is direct conflict-related violence or structural violence fueled by poverty and economic collapse, is conclusive proof that any peace process that ignores gender issues is an incomplete peace process and is doomed to failure.
Recognizing that protecting women is the cornerstone of any future stability is the starting point. Empowering women is not just a development goal, but a security and humanitarian necessity.
The call for peace in the Syrian context must go beyond a mere ceasefire; it must include rebuilding the social and economic fabric torn apart by violence. This requires all of us to:
Accountability and justice for survivors: Sustainable peace cannot be achieved without holding perpetrators of serious violations accountable, particularly crimes of sexual violence, arbitrary arrest, and enforced disappearance. Justice for survivors is the first step toward ending the culture of impunity that has allowed this violence to take root.
Economic empowerment is a shield against exploitation: Relief and recovery programs must be specifically geared towards women’s economic empowerment. Providing women, especially widows and female heads of households, with employment opportunities and sustainable income is the best shield to protect them from economic violence and sexual exploitation in exchange for survival.
Integrating women’s voices into every decision: Issues of gender-based violence must be at the heart of any future negotiations or arrangements. The voice of Syrian women, who have experienced violence in all its forms, must be the guiding voice in the peacebuilding process.
In conclusion: Facing violence against women is a responsibility that cannot be postponed.
The social and economic transformations in Syria have revealed a terrifying truth:
Violence against women and girls is a calculated epidemic that threatens the future of an entire generation.
Our responsibility, as organizations and individuals, is to turn these voices into action.
We must reject silence and forgetfulness, and work tirelessly to ensure that the coming peace in Syria is a comprehensive peace, a peace that does not forget the victims, a peace built on justice, equality and the full human dignity of Syrian women.
The path to peace inevitably passes through ending systematic violence against women and girls, and rebuilding a society that sees women as partners, not victims, and as a driving force, not a burden.
