The Syrian Initiative to Combat Statelessness 22 witnessed births in the detention centers in Syria. Walaa11 told the research team her story in the detention center, where she witnessed a nineteen-year-old girl who was raped in the detention center and then gave birth. Her fellow detainees tried to keep the matter secret in order not to expose the child and the mother, until she left to “Adra” Central Prison. Walaa says: “Most of the girls who get raped, become rejected by the surrounding community and relatives in the first place, so most of them resort to fleeing and living far from their families to raise their children away from the accusations that affect them. But without having any proof of the child’s descent to the father’s side, so that the child remains stateless and in lack of lineage.” | Exploitation of Syrian refugee women by marriage: As a result of the intensification of the military campaigns on residential areas and the arrest campaigns that affected Syrian activists and civilians in most cities with the beginning of the Syrian revolution, thousands of Syrians fled to safer areas in Syria. Some of them decided to seek refuge in neighboring countries, and as a result underage marriages have multiplied. Minors were often married to men much older in Lebanon and Jordan, many customary and traditional marriages were held for refugee women without being legally authenticated, which left many women without any legal protection, especially when having children and divorcing the mother. In Turkey, despite the fact that polygamy is not legal, many women and girls were forced to marry already married men without being aware the illegality of this marriage. Despite the dangers of these marriages to women, which lead to the birth of unregistered and stateless children, there are no official figures available on the number of these marriages or children for several reasons; the most important of which is fear of legal penalties that may involve imprisonment and fines. Umm Ayman12 got married to an elderly Turkish man: “Some people advised me to go to an orphanage to stay in with my three children”. Umm Ayman accepted marriage without knowing that what she had done was illegal and might expose her to a prison sentence, if the authorities knew about this marriage. “The thing that pushed me to accept marriage is my 11 During the period of the research, which lasted for two and a half years, the team met with several cases representing all affected and targeted groups of the research. 12 During the period of the research, which lasted for two and a half years, the team met with several cases representing all affected and targeted groups of the research.