Effort to document sexual violence in Syria uses online tools to gather evidence

In Syria, deadly attacks from security forces continue, even as the government says it has agreed to a UN-backed plan to end the fighting. Addressing the United Nations today, Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said violence was escalating. “Violence is driving thousands to leave their homes in search of safety and protection. People have been victims of horrendous abuse, including sexual violence. Humanitarian needs are growing dramatically.” One of the challenges in Syria has been getting reliable information from inside the country, because of restrictions on telecommunications and foreign journalists. But a new project is aiming to document the violence in Syria, by drawing on individual accounts and testimony about sexual attacks. For more, we’re joined by Lauren Wolfe, she’s Director from Women Under Siege, a project from the Women’s Media Center. She joins us from New York.

To access the map on Syria: https://womenundersiegesyria.crowdmap.com/

To learn more about the Women Under Siege project: http://www.womenundersiegeproject.org/