A/HRC/44/61 VIII. Gendered impact 101. Syrian women, men, girls and boys have witnessed myriad violations and abuses since the beginning of the war that have been deeply gendered. Gender roles, and the inequalities that underpin them, have fuelled and amplified the impact of these violations, inflicting multifaceted harms upon survivors and shaping their negative experiences. 71 102. Throughout areas under its control, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham continued to employ measures that systematically discriminated against women and girls, subjugating their status in both private and public spheres.72 In parts of Idlib Governorate, women and girls had to be accompanied by a male member (mahram) of their immediate family. Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham continued to deny access to public events to unaccompanied women, while infringement of the rules were punished by detention. Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham further interfered with the freedom of movement of women, including by chasing them when they ventured outside by themselves, and when they were deemed to be wearing makeup or “indecent clothing”. In order to avoid public scrutiny and stigmatization by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, many women consciously stopped visiting public places. 103. Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham has been detaining civilians in a systematic effort to stifle political dissent (see paras. 17–19).73 Female activists and media workers have thus been doubly victimized for exercising freedom of expression or daring to speak out against the group’s fragile rule. On at least two occasions, female journalists in Idlib were denied permission to film and were subsequently threatened with detention. In one case, the male relative of one media worker was asked at the “security office” of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham to sign a “loyalty oath” prohibiting his sister from venturing outside in his absence. 104. Female media workers also resorted to self-censoring or hiding their cameras when conducting media work, in order to avoid threats or harassment by members of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. One female journalist reported concealing her identity in public reporting and abstaining from critical reporting, including on public demonstrations or violations of women’s rights. 105. In southern Idlib and western Aleppo, large-scale offensives by all parties affected the provision of services and often rendered them non-operational. Maternity and children’s hospitals have been disabled or closed down for fears of further attacks, thereby preventing pregnant women and new mothers from accessing adequate natal and post-natal care. One woman described how she was compelled to give birth in a moving vehicle when fleeing Saraqib with her family. Between January and February, at least three other women gave birth in similar conditions while attempting to escape southern Idlib. 106. As the humanitarian situation deteriorated, women and girls continued to bear the brunt of the brutal violence waged by the parties to the conflict, with women and children comprising 80 per cent of those living in sites for internally displaced persons. 74 Many were forced to sleep in the open, while others were crammed in makeshift camps, subsisting without adequate access to water, sanitation or privacy, exposing them to further vulnerabilities. In the overwhelmed and undersupplied health facilities in camps along the Syrian-Turkish border, doctors reported increasing cases of birth complications, miscarriages and premature birth due to stress, anaemia, malnutrition and vitamin deficiency. 107. The Commission is currently investigating reports of rape and sexual violence against women and children, including boys, in displacement camps. In the absence of protective mechanisms in northern Idlib and amid a climate of pervasive insecurity, intimate partner violence has intensified, including spousal physical, psychological and sexual violence against women. Doctors recalled observing marks of beatings on the bodies of their female 71 72 73 74 A/HRC/42/51, paras. 89–95. See www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoISyria/A-HRC-37-CRP-3.pdf (footnote 6). A/HRC/40/70, paras. 54–57. https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/recent-developments-northwest-syria-flash-update29-may-2020. 19