Syria: Regional Human Rights Groups Call for Urgent Action to Protect Women from Violence
Sunday, March 23, 2014 11:00 AM

A group of thirteen Syrian and regional human rights organizations have come together to petition the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the international community to move quickly to protect Syrian women from escalating violence. In a report released with their call to action, the organizations document that, throughout Syria's civil war, women have been increasingly targeted during military operations and have been exposed to many forms of gender-based violence including torture and sexual assault. The report alleges that these acts violate International law, which governs behavior towards women during armed conflict.

The coalition of human rights organizations called for immediate action to protect Syrian women from gender-based violence, including providing urgently needed medical, psychological and other assistance to victims, particularly female refugees along the Syrian border. Additionally, the groups asked the UNHRC to pressure the Security Council to require Syria to comply with International law by holding perpetrators of violence against women accountable for their actions, and they asked all countries to prioritize the asylum petitions of Syrian victims of gender-based violence.

Compiled from: Syrian Rights Groups Warn of Increasing Violence Against Women, Turkish Press (March 3, 2014); Grave and ongoing violations of women’s rights in the context of the conflict in Syria, Cairo Insittute for Human Rights Studies, Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Network and 11 Syrian Human Rights Groups (March 2014).