Kidnappings and Sexual Violence Against Alawite Women Raise Alarm in Syria.

Photo by Ahmed akacha on pexels.com 

Recent reports have unveiled cases of kidnappings and sexual abuse targeting women and girls from Syria’s Alawite minority. Victims have accused the interim government’s General Security Service of failing to conduct thorough investigations, while the international community is calling for greater transparency regarding the events of the past year.

Official sources such as the BBC and Amnesty International have recently brought to light the stories of Alawite women in Syria. According to these reports, since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship in December 2024, dozens of women have gone missing and are believed to have been abducted. In addition, The Syrian Feminist Lobby (SFL), an advocacy group for women's rights, reported that between 6 and 10 March 2025 alone, in the western coastal regions of Latakia and Tartous, sectarian conflict between Assad-supporting Alawite militias and the interim government and its allies resulted in the deaths of over 1400 innocent civilians, the majority of whom were Alawite people.

Several women interviewed by the BBC shared their firsthand experience. A teenager shared that three armed men pulled over one day and forced her into a car while claiming to be government security forces. They immediately began to beat her and took her to an unknown location. "One of them asked if I was Sunni or Alawite. When I said Alawite, they began insulting the sect," she said. Activists have documented incidents in which victims reported being forced into marriage or threatened with being sold, while others were raped multiple times by their captors and treated as sex slaves.

About 1.7 million people, or 9% of Syria's population, are Alawites. Smaller communities can be found in Homs, Hama, and Damascus, but they are primarily concentrated along the coastal and mountainous regions of Latakia and Tartous. Recent cases of human rights violations indicate that this minority group is being deliberately targeted.

For instance, after examining 32 killings of Alawite individuals that occurred in March 2025, Amnesty International concluded that these acts were intentional, unlawful, and specifically directed at members of the Alawite minority. Approximately 51000 people were displaced as a result of the violence, with 6000 fleeing to neighboring Lebanon. Humanitarian operations in these regions were also halted due to mandatory curfews and restrictions on movement.

Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has addressed the issue, emphasizing the need to “preserve national unity and domestic peace”. However, experts note that “Syria is caught up in this vicious cycle where the government doesn’t have trust with minority groups. It can’t exert enough power to bring those minority groups into the fold,” while minorities themselves do not trust the government or believe it represents their interests.

Recently published reports and testimonies have sparked international condemnation. In July 2025, the the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria stated: “The extreme violence that occurred has deepened existing rifts between communities, contributing to a climate of fear and insecurity amongst many Syrians throughout the country. We call on the interim authorities to continue to pursue accountability for all perpetrators, regardless of affiliation or rank.” International NGOs and institutions continue to investigate cases of kidnappings and sexual abuse while pressuring the interim government to conduct proper investigations and hold those responsible accountable.

written by Ludovica Muncibì