The Syrian civil war is an ongoing multi-sided armed conflict in which international interventions have taken place. The war grew out of the unrest of the Arab Spring and escalated to armed conflict after Bashar al-Assad’s government violently repressed protests calling for his removal. Violence in Syria has escalated amid an absence of meaningful efforts to end the war. A confidential list of individuals and units are believed to be responsible for crimes against humanity, breaches of international humanitarian law and gross human rights violations.

Women’s rights are the rights claimed for women and girls worldwide, and formed the basis for the women’s rights and feminist movement. In some countries, these rights are institutionalized by law and local custom, whereas in other countries these rights are ignored and suppressed. Issues associated with women’s rights include the right: to bodily integrity and autonomy, to be free from sexual violence, to vote, to hold public office, to enter into legal contracts, to have equal rights in family law, to fair wages or equal pay, to have reproductive rights, and to education. Gender equality is achieved when women and men enjoy the same rights and opportunities across all sectors of society and when the different behaviours, aspirations and needs of women and men are equally valued and favoured.