NCF Research Officer Aaliya Boakye, explores the recent kidnappings and mysterious disappearances of young women occurring in Syria and addresses the conflicting narratives surrounding the enslavement of Syrian women.

The Current Situation:

There are reports that young women have been disappearing under suspicious circumstances or being abducted from their homes and the streets by armed militants affiliated with the new Syrian government, to be taken to Idlib as sex slaves. Idlib is well-known as a Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) stronghold area.

These reports indicate that women have disappeared from various Syrian provinces including Homs, Tartous, Lattakia and Hama.

Although there are recent reports of kidnappings occurring in broad daylight, these abductions have been longstanding in Syria stretching from the previous Bashar Al-Assad government to the current Ahmed Al-Sharaa government.

Alawite women appear to be the main targets for these kidnappings as multiple victims have stated they were cursed at and insulted during these terrifying ordeals for being from the Alawite community.

Alawite women in particular, are living in a constant state of paranoia, with their fears of being kidnapped heightening with every passing day. The fact many of these kidnappings occur in broad daylight and with many witnesses only intensifies this frightening situation, as women are left running and hiding in churches for safety. Some women even have reason to believe their own families have sold them to kidnappers.

However, this narrative has been challenged by members of HTS. With some stating these claims of kidnappings have been investigated and no evidence was found to support this. Instead, they believe the young women, being scared of their husbands and families, run away from home of their own volition. After three to four days some of the women supposedly returned home.

Mohammed Kaba stated that, “You cannot trust everything from the Alawite community.” This perspective is proving to be hard to believe given the overwhelming amount of young women that have vanished without a trace, only to be found enslaved or in some cases trafficked to different countries. Over 50 Alawite women have disappeared under mysterious circumstances since the beginning of 2025 and their whereabouts are still unknown.

The undermining of this troubling pattern of kidnappings is gravely concerning, considering how prevalent the threat against Alawite women is. To dismiss these claims so quickly further endangers the personal safety of Syrian women. It is even more worrying how these stories are being hidden and how limited information on this topic is. The added unwillingness of the Al-Sharaa government to help these women and its seeming complicity makes it clear this situation is unlikely to end anytime soon and Alawite women will continue to live an existence embedded with deep-seated worry.

The current administration has been involved in human rights violations aganist minorities, particularly in reference to the Alawite community. In March 2025 over 1700 members of the Alawite community were massacred in coastal areas, with figures still rising. In May 2025, 42 Alawites were killed, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported these killings have shifted from mass executions to individual acts of violence and abductions.

Stories:

Below are the stories of some of Syrian women who have been victims of kidnapping.

Aya Talal Qassem was kidnapped after leaving her home in the coastal city of Tartous. Just three days later, her kidnapper freed her and sent her to Tartous on the Homs highway. She was then detained by the HTS-led General Prosecution Service.

Her mother stated on social media that her family was forbidden from visiting her in detention, her father was even arrested when he insisted on seeing her.

According to her mother, the General Prosecution Service tried to force Aya to give testimony insisting she was not kidnapped, but rather ran away with a lover, despite the fact Aya’s body was covered in bruises and cuts.

Heba Ezzedine is a Syrian feminist activist and the CEO of the Justice and Empowerment Organisation. She described her encounter with a woman who was abducted as a sex slave during the massacre of Alawites on March 7th.

She said a local village man had married a young woman who no one had seen or heard from before. The man was also believed to have three wives. The woman looked too afraid to speak and very confused; it was clear she did not know how to wear her hijab properly. She had in fact been abducted from the coast.

Ezzebine asked her contacts, including ‘Human rights activists, rebels and factions’, about any other kidnappings of Alawite women from coastal areas and based on their responses, accusations point at the National Army and some foreign fighters, all with varying motives. She called on the government to investigate this pattern of kidnappings.

However, instead of investigating, the HTS appointed governor of Idlib issued an order to arrest Ezzedeen, claiming she had ‘Insulted the hijab’.

Another woman, who prefers to remain unidentified, left her house for a doctors’ appointment with her sister-in-law but was kidnapped during the appointment. The woman was presumed to be dead, but she was actually transported to Al Qusayr city in Western Syria, and finally Lebanon to be wed despite the fact she was already married in Syria.

In captivity, the woman remained calm and tried to be civil with her kidnappers in the hope they would inflict minimal harm to her. Once she gained their trust, she was given a phone and called an acquaintance she knew in Lebanon for help. He aided her and the woman was able to escape.

However, the woman believes that her husbands’ family arranged her kidnapping and sold her, as it was her husband’s sister who insisted she keeps the doctors’ appointment when she was reluctant to leave the house for safety concerns. It was also her sister-in-law who told her to get up and collect water for them both at the doctor’s office, at this point a kidnappper was waiting for her.

While the woman firmly believes it was her husband’s family who sold her, her mother received 4000 euros shortly after her kidnapping. Now she is safe and receiving support from activists in Australia, to help her through this traumatising ordeal.

A former teacher disappeared suddenly so her family reported her missing. Eventually she returned but was entirely unrecognisable to her family. She now dressed much more modestly, with her entire body covered in Afghani traditional dresswear. To her family’s surprise she returned with a fiancé from the Sunni community, and claimed he rescued her dignity.

This damsel-in-distress type of behaviour was the exact opposite of the character her family described before her disappearance. When questioned about her disappearance, the woman pretended she ran away from home to be with her fiancé. However, blue bruises appeared on her wrists and neck.

This suspicious situation and inconsistencies in her story were even questioned by a HTS member, who initially claimed he did not believe her. After influence from more radicalised members of HTS, this member retracted this statement.

There are many women who still have not returned after being kidnapped,  among fears they have been subjected to prolonged sexual violence and enslavement.

Accusations of kidnappings point towards various sources, all with different motivations. Some from the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army but no official party has taken responsibility for any of these kidnappings. Knowledge of these kidnappings are very limited and being kept out of the media.

Government Response

One source who prefers to remain unidentified, who monitors sources in Iblib stated HTS fabricate and send false news to undermine the real stories of kidnapped women, ensuring they are kept out of the public eye. These testimonies are often buried or deleted.

It has even been reported that one of the men accused of partaking in sectarian violence aganist the Alawite community in March, was advised and assisted by government forces. This makes clear that the Al-Sharaa government will assist and fuel violence towards the Alawite community.

Therefore, as these recent kidnappings in Syria primarily target Alawite women, the Syrian government has little interest in protecting this community or stopping these attacks.

On May 18th, the Syrian government announced the formation of two national commissions, for missing persons and transitional justice. These bodies are said to compensate victims and locate thousands of people who remain missing.

The commission for missing persons focuses on investigating the disappearances of thousands of missing people. Whereas the transitional justice commission focuses on moral reparations, national reconciliation and gathering legal evidence to be used to prosecute any individual or criminal gang involved.

However, the objective of these bodies are to ‘Expose the truth about the grave violations committed by the former regime and holding those responsible accountable, in coordination with relevant authorities.’

These parameters exclude a large proportion of victims who have been abducted more recently since the Al-Sharaa government has been in power. This immediately undermines the purpose of the commission by denying assistance and justice to victims.

Specifically, the Commission for the Missing Persons requires families of missing people to know the exact circumstances for which their loved ones disappeared in order to begin investigating, when this information is not always known to the families. This requirement immediately puts greater barriers in place to prevent justice being served, counteracting the very intention of these commissions.

Kidnappings in other nations:

There are also reports of women in Iraq being kidnapped over the years, as 5000 Yazidi men were killed and 7000 Yazidi women were taken, sexually assaulted and sold into slavery in 2014. To this day, approximately 3000 Yazidis remain missing and the families of these kidnapped women are seeking answers and want justice for their loved ones. Yet again, we witness a minority population being targeted and left to fend for themselves.

On Tuesday May 27th, Iraq’s foreign minister Fuad Hussein announced that efforts are underway to locate the Yazidi women abducted in 2014. The Iraq government’s human rights advisor has emphasised locating these women and upholding the Yazidi Survivors Law is a top priority. This announcement followed a regional expert meeting in Baghdad involving federal and Kurdish authorities.

Work of Activist Groups:

Activist groups inside Syria and around the world are providing assistance to Syrian women who have escaped captivity. Although many of these groups must work more discreetly due to the sensitive nature of their mission and to protect the safety of these women.

Women Now for Development is a Syrian organisation that takes a ‘survivor-centered approach’ to provide women with vocational skills and business courses so they can earn an income, completely independently.

Families for Freedom is a Syrian movement that consists of Syrian families who have been impacted by forced disapperances or incarceration. They mobilise the public to assist in their efforts to lobby government and demand accountability for those who have disappeared.

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Illustration featured above by Dredd al Assad:

This painting symbolically captures the pain and devastation that Syria is experiencing today, connecting the country’s current suffering with its deep historical and mythological roots. At the heart of the scene, the powerful bird figure represents the ancient Syrian goddess “Ishtar,” deity of love and beauty, protection, sovereignty and strength. Ishtar is violently attacked and consumed in a harsh portrayal that profoundly symbolizes how recent conflicts have eroded Syria’s civilization, identity, and cultural heritage.

Surrounding Ishtar are distorted and suffering creatures inspired by ancient Syrian mythology, appearing torn and anguished, reflecting Syria’s fragmentation and the unraveling of its cultural and civilizational fabric. Hybrid beings, half-human and half-animal, twist and scream in scenes of profound despair, vividly representing the continuous violence and destruction inflicted upon an entire civilization. The muted, greyish, and dark tones further deepen the sense of loss, illustrating the fading hope amidst this devastation.

In this symbolic depiction, the act of devouring Ishtar carries profound significance, suggesting that the very foundations of Syria, its rich cultural heritage, mythological traditions, and historical beauty, have become prey to violence, chaos, and conflict. Yet, the details of the painting reveal glimpses of resistance and defiance within certain figures, as if reminding us that despite all the pain, Syria still retains a deep, resilient spirit of survival and cultural endurance.