Integrate responses for male survivors (adult and child) and GBT survivors into sexual violence-related referral pathways and ensure robust referral pathways for all survivors. Jamal, a 23-year-old gay man who has lived in Lebanon since 2014 with his siblings, told Human Rights Watch that after his brothers discovered his sexual orientation, they physically abused him: My brothers recently found out that I am gay and they torture me about it. They beat me, imprison me at home and they have threatened to kill me. They follow me like my shadow. [90] At the time we had a number of officers who had the unenviable task of watching a number of pornographic videos, including those featuring children, which had been seized in Soho. Human Rights Watch would like to thank the numerous organizations and individuals that contributed to the research that went into this report. We are grateful to the Human Rights Organizations in Lebanon, including Helem, the Lebanese Center for Human Rights and KAFA (Enough) Violence and Exploitation. We also want to thank Manal Moufarrej, who provided simultaneous translation from Arabic to English and English to Arabic during the interviews we conducted with survivors. This report is dedicated to all men and boys, transgender women, and non-binary individuals who took time to share their experiences with us. Sexual violence against men and boys in general is also carried out through stigma and norms that denigrate same-sex sexual relations. Dustin Lewis, senior researcher at the Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict, writes: [I]t would be inaccurate to say there is no ‘gay’ or ‘homosexual’ component to male-male sexual violence. To the contrary, it is in part precisely because of the potential negative effect of imputing a ‘gay’ identity or ‘homosexual’ behavior to the victim that male-male sexual violence can be psychologically and emotionally damaging…. [25]

The acts of sexual violence documented in this report violate international humanitarian and human rights law and may amount to war crimes. Rape and other forms of sexual violence of comparable gravity violate international treaties, some of which Syria has signed or to which it is a party. International Humanitarian Law UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, A/RES/39/4610, Yousef did attempt to get medical care in Syria, but was refused by multiple hospitals, so he was treated by a private doctor who knew his family. Yousef said: I had my surgeries in Syria. I was really in a bad situation. I was not even pooping. Some hospitals didn’t accept me. Because they were scared. They considered me as an enemy. They thought I was from the opposition. [171] When committed with criminal intent “serious” violations of international humanitarian law, or violations that “endanger protected persons or objects or if they breach important values,” amount to war crimes. [209] This applies to both international and non-international armed conflict, and to both state and non-state actors. [210] Now before I get too far into this, you need to know I wasn’t a scrawny guy. Before getting sent to the slammer, I used to work out at the gym and box. Plus, I had a part-time job as a furniture mover with a local company.Human Rights Watch is grateful to Alice M. Miller, Associate Professor of Law at Yale Law School and the Co-Director of the Global Health Justice Partnership; Charu Lata Hogg, Director of All Survivors Project; and Sarah Chynoweth, Director of the Sexual Violence Project, Women’s Refugee Commission, who reviewed the report. Cisgender: Denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex. Service providers told Human Rights Watch that NGOs and humanitarian organizations have trained forensic doctors and nurses for case management of rape in Lebanon, which is an important step for male survivors of sexual violence to receive proper services. In addition to clinical management of rape trainings, a doctor working with survivors of sexual violence in Beirut said that health providers should be trained in identifying post-rape symptoms and responding in cases when there is a long delay between the incident and the survivors reporting it. [189] International humanitarian law forbids deliberate harm to civilians and other persons not taking part in hostilities at the time. Customary international humanitarian law prohibits rape and other forms of sexual violence. Common Article 3 prohibits the infliction of “violence to life and person,” including “cruel treatment and torture,” as well as “outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment” on anyone not participating in the conflict. [205] Sexual Violence as a War Crime Some survivors interviewed by Human Rights Watch said they did not seek any medical or psychological treatment in Syria because they did not trust the healthcare system and they feared to talk about what happened. Two interviewees treated their physical injuries on their own, without any medical help.

Syria’s penal code defines rape as forcing sexual intercourse, by using violence or threatening words, on anyone other than their spouse. [244] Rape is punishable with hard labor sentences, with the punishment increasing to hard labor not to be less than 21 years, if rape is committed against a minor. [245] Release all arbitrarily detained persons, in line with Syria’s commitment under point 4 of the Anan plan, “including especially vulnerable categories of persons, and persons involved in peaceful political activities.” [4] Yousef explained how his life changed after he was raped and sexually abused by intelligence officers in 2012: At the beginning I was so depressed. I questioned, ‘Why me?’ It affected my daily life and sexual life. I still feel pain. It is hard to remember, to talk about this. It is there, and it doesn’t go away. I hope it helps [others] really and it [rape and other forms of sexual violence in detention] will never happen. Every year I think it is not there, but it is there, the memory of it. [155] While women and girls are disproportionately targeted by conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), men and boys are also impacted. However, existing services within gender-based violence (GBV) and child protection are focused almost exclusively on responding to the needs of women and girls and very little attention is paid to the needs of men and boys. Limited data and underreporting—in part fueled by stigma around male vulnerability and reluctance to talk about experiences of sexual violence or seek help for its long-term physical and psychological impact—have contributed to male survivors not receiving adequate attention and help.This report focuses on the cases of GBT survivors; in other reports published by Human Rights Watch and other NGOs, evidence of heterosexual survivors’ experiences is featured. [137] The Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as any person under the age of 18 and requires states to “take all feasible measures to ensure protection and care of children who are affected by an armed conflict. [230] The CRC provides that state parties “shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child.” [231] Syria is therefore obligated to protect children from sexual abuse and torture from both state and non-state armed groups. The CRC states that “States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to promote physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of a child victim of: any form of neglect, exploitation, or abuse; torture or any other form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; or armed conflicts. Such recovery and reintegration shall take place in an environment which fosters the health, self-respect and dignity of the child.” [232] Human Rights Watch did not compensate interviewees but did cover transportation costs for interviewees who traveled to meet the researcher. A Note on Gender Identity and Expression They were undoubtedly wealthy, both were wearing expensive looking suits, which they took off to reveal a middle-aged spread around the waist. Nur, a 25-year-old gay survivor, was detained in Palestine branch, a detention facility run by the Syrian Military Intelligence, in 2012 for being late for her military service. [80] Nur explained why she did not want to serve in the army: I couldn’t hand myself to the army because we know in Syria what happens to people who are from the LGBT [community] that join the army. Like for example rape and insults. They use you as an object; but even more than [they do to] girls because we are guys and acting like girls. My friend had a personal experience with that. He was raped. [81]