Highlights

• More than 1,000 civilians have been reportedly killed, including women and children , and many more injured during a recent surge in violence in Syria’s coastal areas of Hama, Homs, Latakia and Tartous governorates. Unverified reports also indicate that an estimated 51,000 civilians (including 6,000 who crossed the border into Lebanon) have been displaced by the violence.
• All health facilities providing essential and life-saving sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services have been suspended in coastal areas due to instability, access issues and the safety of both patients and providers. All facilities providing gender-based violence (GBV) services in Latakia and Tartous are also closed.
• Humanitarian operations have been severely disrupted; there is no access to displaced families, and all missions to and within coastal areas have been suspended. All mobile teams are currently suspended. Curfews and movement restrictions have been imposed, curtailing access to basic services. Humanitarian access is urgently needed.
• The UN, international and local humanitarian actors are prioritizing the provision of life-saving humanitarian assistance to those in need once access allows.

Situation Overview

• Displaced civilians have sought shelter in Latakia and Tartus – around 1,000 households were received at a shelter in Himimim village (east of Latakia city) and a further 1,000 households sought shelter at Ibn Khaldoon school in Tartous-Banyas city.
• Multiple incidents of theft and murder have been reported, further increasing instability, and raising protection concerns for women, girls, and children.
• The Homs-Latakia highway was blocked, hindering humanitarian aid from reaching the area. There are still movement restrictions in some areas; roads are closed and activity is subject to governmental and Humanitarian Action Coordination (HAC) office approval. Costs for transportation are high due to current fuel shortages in Syria.
• In Latakia, seven key hospitals out of 118 public health facilities – which had been fully functioning prior to the violence – are in immediate need of medical supplies. One hospital has sustained damage. Due to the security situation, the majority of staff have not been able to report for work. Damage to infrastructure, and a lack of medical supplies and staff, are negatively impacting women and girls’ access to critical health services, including SRH services.
• The instability is exacerbating protection risks for women and girls, and cutting off survivors of violence from services and support. There is an urgent need to expand the availability of services to prevent and respond to GBV. Engagement with local stakeholders remains key to raising awareness of GBV and supporting access to life-saving services, as well as activities that address social norms that perpetuate violence.
• Disruptions to infrastructure are impacting access to clean water and electricity supply across the coastal region. Inter-sectoral efforts to strengthen access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and increasing lighting in communities by providing women and girls with solar lamps, are key to improving safety of movement and strengthening GBV risk mitigation.
• Most of UNFPA’s partners have been given permission to continue operations in Syria while the re-registration process is completed, in line with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (MOSAL) requirements. Other partners have reduced operations as a result of the suspension of USAID. The reduction in funding for some GBV service providers has increased pressure on remaining organizations, who do not have the capacity to respond effectively to growing needs, including case management, psychosocial support, and access to legal aid.