Understanding the lives of the women, men and children of Al-Hol camp

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This study examines gendered experiences of arbitrary detention in Al-Hol and interrogates core assumptions of women’s alleged links or family ties to ISIL/Da’esh. The study undertakes this research using an anthropological approach to provide indepth analysis of the socioeconomic composition of the camp, as well as the specific ways in which the lives of arbitrarily detained women and girls intersected—or not—with ISIL/Da’esh. In line with UN Women’s normative and protection mandate, the report examines under-researched forms of gendered experiences in Al-Hol, including cases of extreme violence, insecurity, and criminality, alongside prior experiences during the conflict. The study examines exploitation, agency, and human rights, as well as humanitarian and protection risks in Al-Hol, particularly for women and girls. Analysis further addresses the ways in which these experiences have shaped their daily lives, futures, and prospects for leaving the camp.

Since 2016, Al-Hol has been a site of prolonged arbitrary detention for tens of thousands of Syrians, Iraqis, and third-country nationals (TCNs) who were detained following the fall of ISIL/Da’esh. At its peak in 2019, an estimated 73,000 people were arbitrarily detained, 91 per cent of whom were women and children. In July 2024, camp management estimated the population at 41,032 individuals. Of these, reportedly 44 per cent were Iraqi, 40 per cent were Syrian and 16 per cent were TCNs. The camp remains under the de facto control of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and its military wing, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Movement is highly restricted, and humanitarian operations are severely limited and under-resourced. Conditions in the camp are marked by systematic human rights 1 violations including enforced disappearance; arbitrary detention; incommunicado detention; lack of family contact; structural discrimination, inaccessibility to and inadequate life-saving and basic services; lack of access to water, food, healthcare and education; insecurity and violence. UN human rights treaty bodies and Special Procedures mechanisms have presented findings to this effect, as well as findings of torture, cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.1

Following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, the AANES and the new Syrian interim authorities signed an agreement in March 2025 to coordinate politically and integrate the SDF into the Syrian national army. While negotiations remain ongoing, implementation has so far focused on administrative matters, with little progress on the core issues of decentralization and military integration. The future of Al-Hol and other detention sites remains uncertain under this evolving political arrangement.

UN Women launched this study as part of its lead role in implementing Recommendation 4 of the Allof-UN Taskforce on Al-Hol, Roj, and related detention facilities. This tasked the UN to “find concrete ways to recognize and communicate that the women and girls in Al-Hol are not a homogenous group and that any meaningful and effective intervention requires identifying and addressing their varying circumstances and needs in a human rights-based and gender-responsive manner”. The mandate for UN Women to develop this comprehensive gender analysis of the situation in Al-Hol camp derives from implementation of the recommendation. The study generates evidence in support of a human rightsbased, gender-responsive policy and programmatic approach to addressing the situation of indefinite, mass arbitrary detention.

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