During Syria’s civil war, many people have been subjected to sexual violence, resulting in ongoing trauma. Many of these victims are men and they have described how such violence gets worse if they are considered gay, or “soft” as the local term translates. Transgender women – often mistaken for gay men in Syria where they cannot live openly – also suffer in large numbers. Even if they can escape Syria, they often struggle alone without services to support them through their trauma. Philippa Stewart spoke to Z. Pınar Erdem, the Promise Institute for International Human Rights Fellow at Human Rights Watch, about her new report, and how we can help these sexual violence survivors.
What is the report about and why has Human Rights Watch decided to focus on this issue?
The report is about sexual violence experienced by men, boys, transgender women, and non-binary people in Syria since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011. It is also about the limited health and support services available to them once they flee Syria and reach Lebanon, where we did our research. We interviewed survivors of sexual violence who, once they reached Lebanon, found that services were inadequate for them to deal with this serious trauma.
As to why – in the Syrian conflict, the use of sexual violence against men and boys is widespread but remains underreported. It is also a global problem. We wanted to focus on men and boys to add more data to the already existing research and shed light on how these abuses occurred.
What did you find out?
We knew that sexual violence against men and boys was rife in Syria, but underreported, as we said. The more we spoke to survivors, the more we came to realize that the violence seems to get much, much worse if they are perceived to be gay or “soft,” which in this context means they are seen as effeminate. Many of the people we interviewed used this word to describe themselves and how they are seen by their attackers. The more interviews we did, the more we understood the specific vulnerabilities of gay men, bisexual men, transgender women, and non-binary people when it came to this type of abuse.
Can you explain why transgender women were included in this report?
First of all, let’s be clear that transgender women are women. The women I interviewed, however, told me that in Syria, they cannot safely present as women. They feared the violence they could be subjected to, so they dressed as men for their personal safety. But because they didn’t conform to the conventional idea of “manhood,” the perpetrators who committed this violence perceived them to be gay, or “soft” men.
So, the motivations behind attacks on transgender women are the same as for the attacks on gay men. That is why we are including transgender women in this report. Read more via HRW
Sexual Violence Against Men, Boys, and Transgender Women in the Syrian Conflict Download the full report in English