Published : 26-11-2016
Palestinian female refugees, who make up 49% of the Palestinian refugee community in war-torn Syria, have been subjected to harsh psycho-physical torture inside and outside Syrian jails.
AGPS figures indicate that 455 Palestinian women died of war-related incidents, most notably bombardment, sniper bullets, and torture behind prison bars. 80 female refugees have also been incarcerated in Syrian prisons and their fate has remained shrouded in mystery.
A sworn affidavit by a female ex-detainee provided evidence for harsh torture tactics and oppressive penal policies perpetrated against women, Palestinians in particular, in Syrian jails. Torture tactics included electric shocks, heavy beating using whips and iron sticks, and sexual abuse. A number of expectant women were forced to abort due to violence by the Syrian wardens.
AGPS kept record of the death of 35 Palestinian female refugees due to torture in Syrian lock-ups, some among whom have been identified via leaked snapshots. 37 female refugees have gone missing inside and outside the Syrian territories. 26 others breathed their last onboard the “death-boats” to Europe, fleeing bloody warfare in Syria.
Several women have also gone homeless or widowed after they lost their husbands and/or children in the war or due to torture. AGPS found out that among 45,000 Palestinian-Syrian refugees in Lebanon, 3,360 families have had women as their sole breadwinners.
Inherently a taboo misdemeanor in the MENA region, violence against women, be it sexual, physical, or verbal, has remained under-reported among the Palestinian refugee community in Syria, with reasons wavering between fear of retaliation, embarrassment, social prestige, fear of punishment for those below the age of criminal responsibility, and distrust in law enforcement.
Palestinian female refugees, who make up 49% of the Palestinian refugee community in war-torn Syria, have been subjected to harsh psycho-physical torture inside and outside Syrian jails.
AGPS figures indicate that 455 Palestinian women died of war-related incidents, most notably bombardment, sniper bullets, and torture behind prison bars. 80 female refugees have also been incarcerated in Syrian prisons and their fate has remained shrouded in mystery.
A sworn affidavit by a female ex-detainee provided evidence for harsh torture tactics and oppressive penal policies perpetrated against women, Palestinians in particular, in Syrian jails. Torture tactics included electric shocks, heavy beating using whips and iron sticks, and sexual abuse. A number of expectant women were forced to abort due to violence by the Syrian wardens.
AGPS kept record of the death of 35 Palestinian female refugees due to torture in Syrian lock-ups, some among whom have been identified via leaked snapshots. 37 female refugees have gone missing inside and outside the Syrian territories. 26 others breathed their last onboard the “death-boats” to Europe, fleeing bloody warfare in Syria.
Several women have also gone homeless or widowed after they lost their husbands and/or children in the war or due to torture. AGPS found out that among 45,000 Palestinian-Syrian refugees in Lebanon, 3,360 families have had women as their sole breadwinners.
Inherently a taboo misdemeanor in the MENA region, violence against women, be it sexual, physical, or verbal, has remained under-reported among the Palestinian refugee community in Syria, with reasons wavering between fear of retaliation, embarrassment, social prestige, fear of punishment for those below the age of criminal responsibility, and distrust in law enforcement.
