Every year on June 19th, the international community observes the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, an official observance established by the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 69/293.
This day aims to raise awareness of the need to end conflict-related sexual violence, to honor the victims and survivors who have faced these heinous crimes, used as a systematic tactic of war and a weapon of intimidation and subjugation, and to stand in awe and solidarity with their courage.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that the sexual and physical violence perpetrated by the security forces and militias of the former Syrian regime was not an isolated incident, but rather a destructive weapon of war and a systematic political tool that struck at the very heart of the Syrian social fabric, targeting the dignity of Syrian women, men, and children alike.
The Syrian Future Movement finds the statistics issued by the Syrian Network for Human Rights and international organizations for 2026 to be entirely credible and accurately corroborated. These statistics document at least 11,500 recorded cases of sexual violence and assault perpetrated against women and men within detention centers run by the former Syrian regime since 2011. Hundreds of survivors continue to silently endure the profound trauma and harsh social stigma.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that any genuine path to transitional justice and societal recovery during this transitional phase in our country will not succeed unless the issue of redress for victims and survivors of sexual violence is a top priority. This requires holding perpetrators accountable and providing material and moral reparations that preserve their dignity and reintegrate them into their national community.
The Syrian Future Movement sees this day as an opportunity to pay tribute to the Syrian survivors who broke the wall of silence and demonstrated extraordinary courage in testifying before international and national courts, paving the way for holding perpetrators accountable and preventing their impunity.
The Syrian Future Movement offers the following recommendations:
- Launching a comprehensive reparations strategy: Calling on civil society organizations and the transitional government to establish specialized national programs that guarantee free psychological, health, and legal support for survivors, and to work immediately to eliminate any trace of social stigma through intensive religious and civic awareness campaigns.
- Excluding sexual crimes from amnesties: Insisting that crimes related to sexual violence be completely excluded from any amnesty decrees or future political settlements, and ensuring the prosecution of leaders and officials who ordered or condoned these crimes under the principle of “command responsibility.”
- Aligning national laws with international agreements: Urging the constitutional and legal committees at the current stage to review and amend Syrian legislation to comply with international human rights instruments, and to increase penalties against any form of violence and sexual extortion in the public and private spheres.
