In 2020, the conflict in Syria has entered its tenth year. With more than half of Syria's population forced to seek asylum outside the country or be displaced within the country, women and girls faced a steady increase in the risks and forms of gender-based violence that affect them. The ongoing conflict, the deteriorating economic situation and the effects of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the accompanying measures, such as movement restrictions and access to services, have made 2020 a difficult year, especially for women and girls.
Lockdown measures and lack of employment opportunities have been associated with a spike in incidents of intimate partner and family violence against women and adolescent girls. Physical, emotional, and sexual violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, early and forced marriage, and denial of education and economic resources are all prevalent forms of GBV that girls and women in Syria continue to face.