Since 18 January 2018 more than 200 women have been kidnapped in the Afrin (Efrin) region of North East Syria.
The Afrin province of North East Syria has been under occupation by the Turkish state and Turkish-backed groups since 18 March 2018. Rates of violations against women in Afrin are at their highest point and war crimes such as torture, execution, harassment and ransoms have been recorded in international reports on the region.
An international initiative called the Missing Afrin Women Project monitors the kidnapping of women in Afrin. The association shares information on victims and perpetrators of kidnapping via https://missingafrinwomen.org/.
The project reveals the names of kidnappers in the hope of bringing them to justice.
The project’s latest report revealed that 11 women were kidnapped in November 2020. Only one of them was released and the other 10 are still missing.
According to report, four of those 11, Aisha Hassou Hamid, Farida Hammu Hussein, Amina Hamid Hanan and Shafiqa Mohammed, were kidnapped from the village of Baflore in Cinderes on 23 November.
Meghan Bodette, one of the founders of the project, said that over 200 women have been kidnapped in Turkey-ruled Afrin since January 2018 and two thirds of them are still missing.