We understand the distress experienced by families still unable to reunite with their loved ones, and we stand with all those seeking the truth and finding closure. However, we urge all parties to approach this effort with care, compassion and respect for privacy. All efforts to support family tracing must prioritize the rights, safety and dignity of children and families.
Achieving the reunification and reintegration of children separated during the war requires collective efforts, led by the government in cooperation with the UN system, international and national organizations. These efforts include comprehensive assessments, family tracing services, and utilizing support systems that address both immediate and long-term needs of children and their families.
In Syria, where families have been torn apart due to conflict and displacement, ensuring comprehensive protection of children’s privacy is paramount to ensure their safety and security and to minimize risks of physical or mental harm. Making sensitive data available publicly, whether in the news media, social media or to unauthorized parties, may potentially cause children harm and increase the risk of misuse or exploitation. Personal data must be handled with the highest level of confidentiality and in compliance with international standards.
Our efforts are guided by United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 16) which states that personal data should be disclosed only to individuals who are authorized to access it to perform their duties, for example to ensure a child’s safety, or where express permission is given by the child or their legal guardian for information to be shared. Our own policies also prioritize the right to protection of children’s privacy, including their personal data.
We are committed to the reunification of children with their families and the investigation of any situation where separation may have been unjust. We published a statement expressing our regret that children forcibly and unnecessarily separated from their families had been temporarily placed in our care by the former government of Syria. We unequivocally disapprove of practices that separate children from their families unless it is in their best interest.