A new investigation by The New York Times reveals that the Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad forcibly disappeared thousands of children of political prisoners, placing them in orphanages to be hidden from their families and, in some cases, adopted away.
The report, based on confidential Syrian secret police databases and interviews with over 50 individuals, provides the most comprehensive picture to date of the regime’s systematic campaign.
A System of Disappearance
The investigation found that Syria’s secret police, the mukhabarat, conspired with government ministries to move children from secret prisons directly into orphanages. Documents marked “top secret” reveal specific orders to keep the children’s identities hidden and prevent information from being “leaked.” The children’s names were sometimes changed, and families who were later released from prison and sought their children were often denied access or re-arrested.
The Ghbees Family
The Times details the ordeal of the Ghbees family, including 8-year-old Laila and her 4-year-old sister Layan, who were detained with their parents in August 2015. After an interrogation where officers used Laila’s coerced testimony against her mother, the girls were separated from their parents and sent to an orphanage.
Laila’s uncle, Abdulrahman Ghbees, a Red Crescent worker labeled a “terrorist” by the regime, tried desperately to find his relatives after they were abducted. His efforts, and those of other families, were often met with threats and re-imprisonment, highlighting the brutal control the regime exerted over anyone searching for their loved ones.
SOS Children’s Villages’ Role
The investigation implicates the international nonprofit SOS Children’s Villages International, revealing that at least six of its facilities were used by the Syrian government to house children of political prisoners. Documents show that SOS accepted children delivered directly from the mukhabarat’s secret prisons and, as requested by the secret police, kept the children’s presence a secret from their relatives.
While SOS has denied intentionally contributing to the disappearances, the report cites multiple cases where the organization’s staff refused to hand children over to their families without explicit permission from the mukhabarat.
The Fate of the Disappeared
With the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, many of the regime’s prisons were opened, but the fate of the 100,000 forcibly disappeared people, including thousands of children, remains largely unknown. Families continue to search for answers amidst a new government that has so far provided limited information. Traces of children—such as tiny sandals, clothes, and dolls—were found in abandoned secret police prisons, serving as haunting reminders of the regime’s atrocities.
