Overview

Dozens of women — nearly all from Syria's Alawite minority — have been reported missing or kidnapped since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024. The Syrian Feminist Lobby says it has recorded more than 80 missing women and confirmed 26 kidnappings between February and early December 2025; Amnesty International has also received credible reports of at least 36 abductions. The BBC interviewed survivors who describe being seized by armed men, held in makeshift cells, repeatedly raped and threatened with being "sold" or forced into marriage, and interrogated about links to the former regime. The wave of abuse followed intense sectarian violence in March that killed more than 1,400 people, mostly Alawites.

Families and rights groups say investigations have been slow or dismissive: the interior ministry told the BBC it had probed 42 alleged kidnappings and deemed all but one not genuine, while a security source acknowledged some kidnappings did occur — including by members of the General Security Service who were later dismissed. Survivors and relatives recount mockery by officers, threats for speaking out, ongoing fear of reprisals and social stigma, and persistent trauma; the Syrian Feminist Lobby says 16 Alawite women remain missing. The accounts, official denials and limited accountability point to a broader climate of impunity and fear, as reported by BBC