Syria committee reunites 194 children from former regime-era care homes

Latest findings

A committee set up by Syria’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor to trace children of detainees says 194 children have so far been returned to their families after being placed in ministry-affiliated care homes during the former regime. The committee has documented 314 cases so far but says that number could rise as more files are uncovered. Committee head Raghda Zidan said investigators face major gaps and tampering in records from the period, and that the team has reviewed 612 placement files, finding that placements dated 2011–2015 do not involve children of detainees while reviews of other years continue.

Ongoing work and accountability

Zidan said genetic testing will be used only after other methods are exhausted to protect children’s privacy. The committee has replaced boards at institutions linked to the former administration, including SOS and Lahn al-Hayat, and is coordinating with the International Center for Transitional Justice on archiving and data analysis. Legal responsibility for implicated officials is being pursued through lawsuits and investigations by the ministries of Interior and Justice, while the committee’s own remit remains limited to care homes affiliated with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. Authorities have urged anyone with information to contact round-the-clock hotlines and said families are being kept in regular contact through committee specialists and a volunteer group that includes relatives of the missing, as reported by Enab Baladi