Damascus, Jan. 06 (SANA) The Committee to Investigate the Fate of Daughters and Sons of Detained and Forcibly Disappeared Women and Men in Syria said it has documented hundreds of cases involving children linked to detainees and forcibly disappeared persons, as part of ongoing efforts to determine their fate and reunite them with their families.
The committee presented its latest findings during a press conference held at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor in Damascus.
Committee head Raghda Zeidan said the committee’s core mandate is to investigate the cases of children who were placed in care homes affiliated with the ministry during the period of the ousted regime. She said the committee has so far identified 314 children who were admitted to these facilities.
According to Zeidan, 150 children have been confirmed as having been reunited with their families, while work is underway to verify the return of an additional 50 children to their relatives.
She said the committee is working on several tracks, including collecting documents and information from families, reviewing records of care homes between 2011 and 2024, and following up on cases of children who have already been returned. Two hotlines have also been established to facilitate communication with families and gather information.
Zeidan added that the committee is providing legal guidance and advocacy for affected children and their families, including coordination with international bodies concerned with missing persons.
Samir Qurabi, a representative of the Ministry of Interior on the committee, said support is being provided to families of forcibly disappeared children through legal consultations and the appointment of lawyers, stressing that the committee itself has no judicial authority. He said specialized teams are being formed to sort, archive and analyze complex files, alongside field teams tasked with case follow-up.
Fateh al-Abbasi, national director of SOS Children’s Villages Syria, said 140 cases of children forcibly placed in SOS care were identified, with 106 cases traced so far, while verification efforts continue.
Moutasem al-Salloumi, director general of the Lahn al-Hayat Homes Complex, said investigations revealed a lack of accurate data on children of detainees, noting that many had been registered under different names as having unknown parentage, complicating identification efforts.
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