A/HRC/21/50 Annex IX [English only] Sexual violence I. Government forces and Shabbiha 1. The commission conducted 43 interviews detailing incidents of sexual violence — against men, women and children — committed by Government forces and Shabbiha since February 2012. These interviews included two female and three male victims of rape. Also interviewed were five eyewitnesses of rape (one of whom was also a victim). Additionally, seven of those interviewed were former members of the army, now defected, who stated that rapes and other forms of sexual assault, committed by soldiers and Shabbiha, took place during the Government forces‘ ground operations as described below. 2. There are difficulties in collecting evidence in cases of sexual violence in Syria due to cultural, social and religious beliefs surrounding marriage and sexuality. Victims‘ reluctance to disclose information stem from the trauma, shame and stigma linked to sexual assault. There are also serious consequences for female victims‘ lives and marriages. In one incident, the commission was informed that a female rape victim was subsequently killed by her brother-in-law to ―preserve the honour of the family‖. Another interviewee stated another female rape victim had later killed herself. Several interviewees stated that female rape victims had been abandoned by their husbands and consequently struggled to survive. All victims and/or members of their families interviewed suffered psychological trauma. Many broke down during the interview. 3. The fear of rape and sexual assault also restricted the freedom of movement of women and young girls. Many of the women interviewed sought refuge in neighbouring countries in part because they feared sexual assault. A. Findings 4. Information collected indicates that rape and other forms of sexual violence occurred in two distinct circumstances. The first is during the searches of houses and at checkpoints as Government forces and Shabbiha entered towns and villages; the second, in detention. In a minority of cases, all occurring in Homs city between late February and April 2012, there were reports of the abduction and rape of women, and corroborated accounts of women being forced to walk naked in the street. Sexual violence during house searches and at checkpoints 5. Fifteen of the interviewees alleged incidents of sexual violence committed during house searches and at checkpoints during the military operations in Homs between late February and May 2012, and in Al-Haffe in early June 2012. Five interviewees detailed incidents of sexual violence in Zabadani in late February 2012 and in various locations in Hama and Idlib governorates in April and May 2012. The sexual violence was reportedly perpetrated by soldiers and Shabbiha. 91