Syria in Crisis

The Women’s Refugee Commission is extremely concerned about the current crisis in Syria: the horrific violence has created a desperate humanitarian situation, with the UN estimating that 1 million people are in dire need of assistance. International aid agencies have little to no access to the country. Nearly 10,000 Syrians have died, and more than 150,000 more have become refugees in neighboring countries or are internally displaced.

Almost daily, new atrocities are reported from Syria. The threats to women’s and children’s safety continue to grow, and women’s voices remain absent from current attempts to find a peaceful, sustainable resolution to the current conflict. Human Rights Watch’s recent report details horrific coordinated torture of men, women and children by Syrian security forces. No one is immune from the violence that has engulfed the country.

Joining other humanitarian and women’s rights groups, the Women’s Refugee Commission—as a member of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security—has called upon all members of the UN Security Council to use the tools and frameworks at the Council’s disposal to end the violence against civilians in Syria. In an open letter to the Council, the NGO Working Group urges Council Members and all UN Member States to end the violence in Syria, to allow humanitarian agencies access to all those in need of assistance, to provide assistance to Syrian refugees in neighboring countries and to ensure that the women and men of Syria are equally involved in rebuilding their country.

The Women’s Refugee Commission urges all UN Member States to work together to find a solution that will bring peace to Syria and protect Syrian women, men and children, including those that are displaced and refugees.