Trafficking in persons Syria, in 20 editions.

current situation: Syria is a destination and transit country for women from South and Southeast Asia and Africa children trafficked for domestic servitude commercial sexual exploitation and from Eastern Europe forced labor; a significant number of women and Iraq for children in the large and expanding Iraqi refugee community in Syria are reportedly forced into commercial sexual exploitation; exploitation by Iraqi gangs or, in some cases, their families; women from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone are recruited for work in Syria as domestic servants, but some face conditions of exploitation and involuntary servitude servitude, including long hours, non-payment of wages, withholding of passports and other passports, restrictions on movement, threats, and physical and sexual abuse; Eastern European women recruited for work in Syria as cabaret dancers are not permitted to leave their work premises without permission and have their passports withheld; some displaced Iraqi women and children are reportedly forced into or sexual exploitation abuse
tier rating: Tier 3 - Syria does not fully comply with the minimum standards for again failed to report any law enforcement efforts to punish trafficking offenses in 2007; in addition, the elimination government did not offer protection services to victims of trafficking and is may have arrested, prosecuted, or deported some victims for prostitution or immigration violations; Syria has not making significant efforts to do so ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

current situation:
Syria is a destination and transit country for women and children trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; a significant number of women and children in the large and expanding Iraqi refugee community in Syria are reportedly forced into commercial sexual exploitation by Iraqi gangs or, in some cases, their families; women from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone are recruited for work in Syria as domestic servants, but some face conditions of involuntary servitude, including long hours, non-payment of wages, withholding of passports, restrictions on movement, threats, and physical or sexual abuse
tier rating:
Tier 3 - Syria again failed to report any law enforcement efforts to punish trafficking offenses in 2007; in addition, the government did not offer protection services to victims of trafficking and may have arrested, prosecuted, or deported some victims for prostitution or immigration violations; Syria has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

current situation:
Syria is a destination and transit country for women and children trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; a significant number of women and children in the large and expanding Iraqi refugee community in Syria are reportedly forced into commercial sexual exploitation by Iraqi gangs or, in some cases, their families; women from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone are recruited for work in Syria as domestic servants, but some face conditions of involuntary servitude, including long hours, non-payment of wages, withholding of passports, restrictions on movement, threats, and physical or sexual abuse
tier rating:
Tier 3 2 Watch List - Syria again failed to report any law enforcement efforts to punish trafficking offenses in 2007; in addition, the government did not offer protection services to victims of trafficking and may have arrested, prosecuted, or deported some victims for prostitution or immigration violations; Syria has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

current situation:
Syria is principally a destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor or sex trafficking; women from Indonesia, the Philippines, Somalia, and Ethiopia are recruited by employment agencies to work in Syria as domestic servants, but are subsequently subjected to conditions of forced labor; some economically desperate Syrian children are subjected to conditions of forced labor within the country, particularly by organized street begging rings; some Syrian women in Lebanon may be forced to engage in street prostitution and small numbers of Syrian girls are reportedly brought to Lebanon for the purpose of prostitution
tier rating:
Tier 2 Watch List - the government made modest anti-trafficking efforts, however, it did not demonstrate evidence of increasing efforts to investigate and punish trafficking offenses, inform the public about the practice of human trafficking, or provide much-needed anti-trafficking training to law enforcement and social welfare officials (2011) (2008)

current situation:
due to Syria's Syria’s political uprising and violent unrest, hundreds of thousands of Syrians, foreign migrant workers, and refugees have fled the country and are vulnerable to human trafficking; the lack of security and inaccessibility of the majority of the country makes it impossible to conduct a thorough analysis of the ongoing conflict and the scope and magnitude of Syria's Syria’s human trafficking situation; prior to the uprising, Syria was principally is a source and destination country for women men, women, and children subjected to forced labor or and sex trafficking; thousands of Syrian refugee women - the majority from Indonesia, the Philippines, Somalia, and Ethiopia - were recruited to work as domestic servants but were subsequently subjected to girls are forced labor; Filipina domestic workers continue to be sent to Syria and into exploitive marriages or prostitution in neighboring countries, while refugee children are vulnerable to forced labor; into street begging domestically and abroad; the Syrian armed forces and opposition forces are using Syrian children in combat and support roles and as human shields; Iraqi women and girls continue to be sexually exploited, and Syrian children still face conditions of forced labor shields
tier rating:
Tier 3 - the government does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; increasing violence undercut any law enforcement efforts in 2013; the government does not demonstrate evidence failed to protect and prevent children from recruitment by government forces and armed opposition groups; a new law passed in 2013 criminalizing the recruitment of increasing children under 18 by armed forces was not enforced; authorities did not make efforts to investigate and punish trafficking offenses, provide offenders, including complicit government employees; no trafficking victims were identified or provided with protective services services; the government did not attempt to victims, inform the public about human trafficking, trafficking or to provide much-needed anti-trafficking training to law enforcement and social welfare officials; the government does not refer any victims to NGO-operated shelters and has failed to institute procedures for the identification, interview, and referral of trafficking victims; the status of the national plan of action against trafficking is unknown (2013) officials (2014)

current situation: as conditions continue to deteriorate due to Syria’s political uprising and violent unrest, hundreds of thousands of Syrians, foreign migrant workers, and refugees have fled civil war, human trafficking has increased; Syrians remaining in the country and those that are refugees abroad are vulnerable to human trafficking; the lack of security and inaccessibility of the majority of the country makes it impossible to conduct a thorough analysis of the scope and magnitude of Syria’s human trafficking situation; Syria is a source and destination country for men, women, women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; Syrian children continue to be forcibly recruited by government forces, pro-regime militias, armed opposition groups, and terrorist organizations to serve as soldiers, human shields, and executioners; ISIL forces Syrian women and girls and Yazidi women and girls taken from Iraq to marry its fighters, where they experience domestic servitude and sexual violence; Syrian refugee women and girls are forced into exploitive marriages or prostitution in neighboring countries, while refugee displaced children are forced into street begging domestically and abroad; the Syrian armed forces and opposition forces are using Syrian children in combat and support roles and as human shields abroad
tier rating: Tier 3 - the government does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; increasing violence undercut any law enforcement efforts in 2013; the government failed 2014, Syria’s violent conditions enabled human trafficking to protect and prevent children from recruitment by government forces and armed opposition groups; a new law passed in 2013 criminalizing flourish; the recruitment of children under 18 by armed forces was not enforced; authorities did not make efforts to investigate and punish trafficking offenders, including complicit government employees; made no effort to investigate, prosecute, or convict trafficking victims were identified offenders or provided with protective services; the complicit government officials, including those who forcibly recruited child soldiers; authorities did not attempt to inform the public about human trafficking or to provide anti-trafficking training identify victims and failed to officials (2014) ensure victims, including child soldiers, were protected from arrest, detention, and severe abuse as a result of being trafficked (2015)

current situation: due to Syria’s civil war, hundreds of thousands of Syrians, foreign migrant workers, and refugees have fled the country and are vulnerable to human trafficking; the lack of security and inaccessibility of the majority of the country makes it impossible to conduct a thorough analysis of the impact of the ongoing conflict on the scope and magnitude of Syria’s human trafficking situation; prior to the uprising, the Syrian armed forces and opposition forces used Syrian children in combat and support roles and as human shields
tier rating: Tier 3 — Syria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government does not hold any traffickers, including complicit officials, criminally accountable for trafficking; no trafficking victims were identified or received protection during the reporting period; government and pro-Syrian militias continued to forcibly recruit and use child soldiers; the government does not prevent armed opposition forces and designated terrorist organizations from recruiting children; authorities continued to arrest, detain, and severely abuse trafficking victims, including child soldiers, and punished them for unlawful acts traffickers compelled them to commit (2020)
trafficking profile: due to Syria’s civil war, hundreds of thousands of Syrians, foreign migrant workers, and refugees have fled the country and are vulnerable to human trafficking; the lack of security and inaccessibility of the majority of the country makes it impossible to conduct a thorough analysis of the impact of the ongoing conflict on the scope and magnitude of Syria’s human trafficking situation; prior to the uprising, the Syrian armed forces and opposition forces used Syrian children in combat and support roles and as human shields

tier rating: Tier 3 — Syria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; so, therefore Syria remained on Tier 3; during the reporting period, there was a government does policy or pattern of human trafficking and employing or recruiting child soldiers; Syrians were exploited in forced labor under compulsory military service for indefinite periods under threat of torture, familial reprisal, or death; the government did not hold any traffickers, including complicit officials, traffickers criminally accountable for trafficking; no trafficking victims were identified nor identify or received protection during the reporting period; protect any victims; government and pro-Syrian militias continued to forcibly recruit and use child soldiers; the government does did not prevent armed opposition forces and designated terrorist organizations from recruiting children; authorities continued to arrest, detain, and severely abuse trafficking victims, including child soldiers, and punished them for unlawful acts traffickers compelled them to commit (2020) (2022)
trafficking profile: due to Syria’s civil war, hundreds human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Syria, as well as Syrians abroad; more than half of thousands Syria’s pre-war population of Syrians, foreign migrant workers, and refugees 23 million have fled the country been internally displaced or are refugees in other countries and extremely vulnerable to traffickers; children are vulnerable to human trafficking; the lack of security forced marriages, sexual slavery, and inaccessibility of the majority of the country makes it impossible to conduct a thorough analysis of the impact of the ongoing conflict on the scope forced labor; armed groups, community members, and magnitude of Syria’s human trafficking situation; prior to the uprising, the criminal gangs exploit women, girls, and boys in Syria in sex trafficking; Syrian armed forces government forces, pro-regime militias, and opposition forces used use Syrian children in combat and support roles and as human shields shields; foreign domestic workers from Southeast Asian countries are subject to forced labor; terrorist groups reportedly force, coerce, or fraudulently recruit foreigners, including migrants from Central Asia and Western and other women, who are vulnerable to forced labor and sex trafficking; Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, particularly Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Turkey, are highly vulnerable to sex trafficking and forced labor (2022)

tier rating: Tier 3 — Syria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Syria remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/syria/ https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/syria/