Syrian Civil War: 'Thousands of Women, Men, and Children Have Been Raped'

Reuters reports, citing UN researchers, that Syrian government forces and their allied militias have raped women and men as punishment for attending opposition gatherings. Rape and sexual abuse during war are considered war crimes and crimes against humanity. According to the report, individuals who have been raped and sexually abused stated that rebel groups have also committed sexual violence and torture during the civil war, although these crimes are 'significantly fewer' compared to those committed by the government. The report also states that militants from the group known as 'Islamic State' have stoned women and girls on charges of 'adultery,' forced some girls into marriage, and punished gay men. Paulo Pinheiro, head of the UN Commission of Inquiry, stated: 'It is extremely disgusting that brutal sexual violence in Syria has been perpetrated by most parties involved for seven years.' This report, based on 454 interviews with survivors, relatives, witnesses, defectors from the government, and medical personnel, is published as Syria enters its eighth year of war. The report recommends that the UN Security Council present these findings to the International Criminal Court for prosecution of the perpetrators. Karen AbuZayd, an American member of the commission, said that the documented cases are only the 'tip of the iceberg.' According to this report, government forces have raped civilians during house searches and ground operations in the early stages of the war, and later at checkpoints and in prisons. Among the documented cases, the youngest victim is a 9-year-old girl. In another part of the Reuters report, it is stated that sexual violence against men has been used to extract confessions, gather information, punish, and intimidate regime opponents. According to the report, victims have suffered from shame, depression, loss of control over bodily functions, sexual impotence, abortion, and rejection by their families. Karen AbuZayd stated that some interviewees said that for a girl, being raped is worse than being killed. She added that 'some women and girls have committed suicide due to the insults from their families and communities.' AbuZayd also noted that rape of men and boys is often 'overlooked' but still has devastating effects: 'This is a heinous crime; we are well aware of how bad this is for women, but what we pay less attention to is that rape is just as bad for male victims.' UN researchers stated that they found 'no evidence of systematic and targeted' sexual violence by armed groups opposing the government, although some incidents of such violence have been reported during retaliatory or ethnic attacks. However, they have documented accusations against extremist Islamist groups, including executions by throwing victims from tall buildings. Heni Magali, one of the UN commissioners, said: 'Regarding the Islamic Caliphate (ISIS), we have documented reports of women being stoned for adultery, the arrest or beating of even pregnant women for minor disobediences related to mandatory dress codes; and also mandatory inspections conducted to check for virginity.'