The February 2026 airstrikes on Iran triggered a rapid escalation of risks across the region, intensifying gender-based violence (GBV) exposure in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while further degrading already fragile protection systems and service delivery structures.
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 report highlights how gaps in legislation, institutional obstacles, digital divides and entrenched social norms can exclude women and girls. Based on desk research and case studies from three countries, the report reveals how legal, cultural and economic factors hinder access to civil registration and identity documents.
