introduction:
Since the announcement of the formation of the National Investigation Committee into the Fate of the Children of Detainees and Forcibly Disappeared in Prisons and Government Centers of the Deposed Regime, the issue has emerged as one of the most sensitive and complex transitional justice issues in post-war Syria. The launch of the committee, headed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and including representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Justice, and Endowments, as well as human rights experts, civil society representatives, and families of the missing, represents a transition from denial to institutionalization, and from administrative cover-up to functional accountability.
Following the committee’s press conference on July 9, 2025, where it reviewed its plan and working mechanism, it has become imperative to accompany the committee’s efforts with a policy document based on principles of criminal and social reform, and guiding the state’s work towards policies of disclosure, justice, and redress for the harms accumulated over two decades of security and administrative encroachment on the lives of children.
This article aims to:
- Support the work of the National Committee with well-thought-out implementation proposals based on international experiences in transitional justice for children.
- Establish a permanent institutional framework that goes beyond the temporary committee to a national oversight and legislative structure that guarantees the rights of children who are victims of detention or disappearance.
- Unify the database of missing persons and link it to a national system for family identification and community care.
- Build a national-international partnership for documentation, investigation, and legal and psychological support for victims.
Institutional and Legal Analysis:
A. Nature of Violations:
These violations include preliminary documentation of hundreds of cases of children who went missing during the arrest of their families or after being placed in government care facilities linked to security services or non-governmental organizations. The violations also include:
- Changing the legal parentage of some children.
- Enrolling them in unlicensed charities.
- Unofficially deporting them from the country.
- Not registering births during detention, resulting in the disappearance of their civil records.
b. The relevant administrative structure:
The current committee is run by the Ministry of Social Affairs and includes representatives from:
The Ministry of Interior, to collect security data and conduct criminal investigations;
The Ministry of Justice, to oversee judicial matters and review identity and travel violations;
The Ministry of Endowments, to address violations within religious associations;
Civil society organizations, to represent victims and ensure community documentation;
In addition, the families of missing persons, to provide testimonies and documents.
The committee has begun field visits to care homes, and several officials have been arrested, including two former ministers and directors of social associations, in a move unprecedented since 2011.
Comparative framework: Similar international experiences:
In Argentina (1985–2005), the government, in collaboration with the organization “Children of the Disappeared,” established a national genetic registry to restore the lineage of children secretly adopted during the military dictatorship.
In Morocco (the Equity and Reconciliation Commission), the state recognized the right of victims to know the truth and established a reparations fund, including for children affected by the violations of the Years of Lead.
In Rwanda, after the genocide, local “gachaca” committees were formed to investigate the truth and determine the fate of children who went missing or were forcibly recruited.
These experiences underscore the importance of legal recognition, scientific documentation, and civil-international partnership in building a collective human rights memory.
conclusion:
The issue of the children of detainees and forcibly disappeared is not only a matter of the past, but of the future of Syrian justice itself. Every child who goes missing is a test of the state’s ability to protect the most vulnerable, restore dignity, and enforce the rule of law.
This issue also redefines the concept of citizenship – from a mere civil number to a protected identity and an inalienable right.
The Syrian Future Movement, based on its vision of a just and institutionalized society, calls for transforming this investigation into a permanent public policy, a constitutional framework for criminal reform, and a comprehensive national project that rebuilds trust and puts an end to the cycles of impunity and humiliation that have tarnished the state’s image for decades.Accordingly, we in the Syrian Future Movement recommend the
Accordingly, we in the Syrian Future Movement recommend the following:
1. Legal and administrative establishment:
- Transforming the committee into a permanent national body for children’s rights within the context of transitional justice, reporting directly to the government and empowered to conduct investigations, judicial referrals, and central documentation.
- Issuing a decree establishing a national family identity registry for missing children, linked to the civil registry network, and accessible to victims’ families and judicial authorities.
2.Judicial procedures:
- Activating special judicial departments within the Ministry of Justice to consider cases of children affected by detention or disappearance, similar to juvenile units, while ensuring free legal representation.
- Referring cases to specialized prosecution offices for crimes against humanity or violations against children, in accordance with international standards (the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Second Geneva Protocol).
3.Social justice and reparation:
- Establish a fund for the protection of missing and forcibly disappeared children, funded by the state in cooperation with international partners, to compensate victims, provide psychological and social support, and provide educational integration.
- Provide free health and psychological services to recovered children or those who have experienced exploitation, in coordination with the World Health Organization and accredited mental health care organizations.
4.Partnership and civil oversight:
- Enact a law establishing a permanent community oversight committee, including families of missing persons, human rights organizations, and legal researchers, to review the progress of investigations and publish an annual report.
- Involve international organizations such as UNICEF, the Red Cross, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights in oversight, training, and securing international judicial processes.
5.Symbolic and national recognition:
- Declaring a national day for “child victims of enforced disappearance,” a legal and educational conference will be held, victim testimonies will be presented, and awards will be given to research centers and surviving victims.
- Incorporating the “children of detainees” file into secondary school curricula, as part of an educational unit on social justice and fundamental rights. Every child whose fate is discovered is a restoration of the nation’s function. Every report published is a cornerstone in the foundation of Syria’s justice and institutions.
