ISTANBUL

In a report issued this week, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that more than 20,000 women had been killed in Syria’s ongoing civil conflict, including around 19,000 slain by Syrian regime forces.

Publication of the report coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Wednesday.

According to the U.K.-based NGO, Syrian regime forces have been responsible for the death of 18,917 females, while 72 women have been killed by Russian forces and 42 by Syrian Kurdish forces.

The report also asserts that at least 7,029 women have been detained by regime forces, including 318 girls.

Another 69 women have been detained by Syrian Kurdish forces, 877 by various armed opposition groups, and 639 by the Daesh militant group, according to the report.

The study goes on to say that a number of female activists had been subject to arrest, torture and sexual violence at the hands of the regime.

At least 250,000 people have been killed since the Syria conflict began in 2011, according to UN figures, with 7.6 million internally displaced and over four million having fled to nearby countries.