Amnesty International on July 28 called on Syria to investigate abductions of Alawite women and girls, and bring perpetrators to justice.

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International's secretary general, said that the Syrian authorities must "act swiftly and transparently in locating missing women and girls, bringing perpetrators to justice, and providing affected families with timely, gender-sensitive and credible information and support."

Amnesty reported that at least 36 Alawite women and girls, some underage, have been abducted in Latakia, Tartous, Homs and Hama governorates since March, when a wave of violence against the Alawite community began. In some of these cases, the women were abducted "in broad daylight." Through interviews, Amnesty found that many women and girls from the Alawite community, as well as others in the affected governorates, now live in fear, causing them to be very caitious about leaving their homes for school, university or work.

Amnesty charged that the Syrian authorities have failed to adequately investigate these abductions.The fact-finding committee established by President Ahmed al-Sharaa to investigate the March violence turned in its findings July 22, stating that it had not received any reports of girls or women being abducted.

Some abducted women have reached out to their families to ask for divorces from their husbands. Amnesty said it is probable that "they were subjected to forced marriage or coerced to request a divorce." Abducted women have also been held for ransom, and in some cases forcibly married off despite ransom payments.

Amnesty International stressed that forced marriage places "the woman or girl at risk of a range of further abuse, including additional forms of sexual violence..." The UN General Assembly has recognized that child, early or forced marriage is a human rights violation. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has also emphaszied that international law requires spouses to enter a marriage with full and free consent.

Furthermore, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has found that forced marriage can amount to a crime against humanity under Article 7(1)(k) of the Rome Statute. The Ongwen case concerned marriages forced upon girls and women by the Lord’s Resistance Army during the Ugandan civil war. The ICC found that forced marriage is a form of gender-based violence.

Callamard stated that the Syrian authorities are legally obliged to put a stop to gender-based violence, urging immediate and effective investigations into the kidnappings.

From JURIST, July 29. Used with permission.

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