“They Treated Us in Monstrous Ways” Sexual Violence Against Men, Boys, and Transgender Women in the Syrian Conflict HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH “They Treated Us in Monstrous Ways” Sexual Violence Against Men, Boys, and Transgender Women in the Syrian Conflict Copyright © 2020 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-62313-8417 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org JULY 2020 ISBN: 978-1-62313-8417 “They Treated Us in Monstrous Ways” Sexual Violence Against Men, Boys, and Transgender Women in the Syrian Conflict Glossary ........................................................................................................................... i Summary ......................................................................................................................... 1 Recommendations ........................................................................................................... 4 To the United Nations Security Council ........................................................................................4 To the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism .......................................................4 To Humanitarian Organizations and Service Providers in Lebanon ...............................................4 To the Lebanese Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Interior .................................................... 5 To the Syrian Government ........................................................................................................... 5 To the European Union and Other International Donors ............................................................... 6 Methodology ................................................................................................................... 7 A Note on Gender Identity and Expression .................................................................................. 9 I. Background ................................................................................................................ 10 Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys ............................................................ 10 CRSV: A Male Issue Too ......................................................................................................... 11 Purpose of Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys ................................................................ 13 Underreporting and Misrepresentation .................................................................................. 16 Background of CRSV Against Men and Boys in Syria .............................................................. 20 II. “Soft” Targets of Syria ............................................................................................... 27 Family Violence and Discrimination .......................................................................................... 29 III. Sexual Violence in the Syrian Conflict ....................................................................... 32 Rape ......................................................................................................................................... 32 Rape in Intelligence Branches, Military Prisons and Central Prisons ....................................... 32 Rape in the Syrian Army ......................................................................................................... 37 Rape at Checkpoints ............................................................................................................. 38 Electric Shock, Beating, and Burning of Genitals ........................................................................ 39 Forced Nudity ........................................................................................................................... 40 Threat of Rape ........................................................................................................................... 42 Sexual Harassment ................................................................................................................... 43 IV. Impact of Sexual Violence ......................................................................................... 46 Physical Trauma ....................................................................................................................... 46 Psychological Trauma .............................................................................................................. 48 V. Inadequate Service Provision for Male Sexual Violence Survivors in Lebanon ............. 51 Barriers to Health Services and Protection ................................................................................. 53 Limited Availability of Specialized Services ........................................................................... 54 Lack of Expertise and Poor Treatment by Service Providers .................................................... 56 Lack of Trust .......................................................................................................................... 58 Stigma .................................................................................................................................. 59 VI. Legal Obligations ...................................................................................................... 61 International Humanitarian Law ................................................................................................ 61 Sexual Violence as a War Crime ............................................................................................ 62 International Human Rights Law ............................................................................................... 64 Rights to Life, Security of Person, and Freedom from Torture or Other Ill-Treatment ................ 64 Right to Health ...................................................................................................................... 67 Domestic Law of Syria ............................................................................................................... 67 VII. Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. 69 Glossary Biological sex: The biological classification of bodies as male or female based on such factors as external sex organs, internal sexual and reproductive organs, hormones, and chromosomes. Bisexual: The sexual orientation of a person who is sexually and romantically attracted to both women and men. Cisgender: Denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex. Conflict-related Sexual Violence (“CSRV”): Refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, enforced sterilization, forced marriage, attempted rape, sexual assault and any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity against women, men, girls or boys that is directly or indirectly linked to conflict. That link may be evident in the profile of the perpetrator, who is often affiliated with a state or non-state armed group, which includes terrorist entities; the profile of the victim, who is frequently an actual or perceived member of a political, ethnic or religious minority group or targeted on the basis of actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity or body characteristics; the climate of impunity, which is generally associated with state collapse, cross-border consequences such as displacement or trafficking, and violations of a ceasefire agreement.1 Gay: A synonym for homosexual in many parts of the world; in this report, used specifically to refer to the sexual orientation of a man whose primary sexual and romantic attraction is toward other men. 1 Report of the United Nations Secretary-General, “Conflict Related Sexual Violence,” S/2019/280, March 29, 2019, https://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/report/s-2019-280/Annual-report-2018.pdf (accessed July 15, 2020), p.3. i Gender: The social and cultural codes (linked to but not congruent with ideas about biological sex) used to distinguish between society’s conceptions of “femininity” and “masculinity.” Gender Identity: A person’s internal, deeply felt sense of being female or male, both, or something other than female or male. Heterosexual: The sexual orientation of a person whose primary sexual and romantic attraction is toward people of another sex. Homophobia: Fear of, contempt of, or discrimination against homosexuals or homosexuality, usually based on negative stereotypes of homosexuality. Homosexual: The sexual orientation of a person whose primary sexual and romantic attractions are toward people of the same sex. LGBT: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender; an inclusive