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Recurring Kidnapping Incidents... Student Escapes Kidnapping Attempt in Latakia
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The kidnapping incidents of women and young girls reflect the state of chaos and security breakdown prevailing in different areas of Syria, resulting from weak security institutions and the absence of
A 14-year-old girl was subjected to a kidnapping attempt carried out by masked gunmen traveling in a black van in Latakia city. According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen monitored the student's exit from an educational institute on Harfoush Street in Latakia city, immediately kidnapped her, and fled the scene, while a group of young men and the girl's relatives pursued them, forcing them to throw her in the bushes of the Damsarkho area in rural Latakia.
The phenomenon of kidnapping and security disturbances is rampant within multiple Syrian areas for various purposes and motives, without serious action from official institutions to limit the spread of this disturbing phenomenon.
In a similar incident that occurred yesterday, a young woman named "Batoul Aref Hassan" from rural Tartous was suddenly kidnapped in mysterious circumstances, about 6 days ago, while returning from her workplace to her home.
According to statements from her family members, the kidnapped woman spoke with her husband minutes before her disappearance and told him she was about to arrive home, then contact with her was completely lost, without knowing her fate until the current moment.
It is worth mentioning that she is the mother of a four-and-a-half-year-old child. No information has been available about her since the moment of her disappearance, despite the passage of several days since the incident.
The father of the kidnapped woman, through the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, directed an urgent appeal to all concerned parties, headed by human rights organizations and organizations specialized in women's rights, demanding intervention and assistance in revealing the fate of his kidnapped daughter and rescuing her from the unknown.
The family emphasized that the child is suffering a difficult psychological condition due to his mother's absence, and appeals to those with living consciences and anyone who can help shed light on this humanitarian issue, to work on returning her to her child and family as soon as possible.
These recurring incidents raise serious questions about the ability of security agencies to protect civilians, especially women and children, in the absence of a clear strategy to combat the phenomenon of kidnapping.
