SOS Children's Villages International has announced it will not publish a report detailing its role in the separation of children from their families during the Syrian civil war. The charity also has yet to provide compensation to impacted Syrian families, despite prior commitments. This decision comes amidst internal strife threatening the organization, founded in 1949.
Under the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad, Syrian security forces reportedly took hundreds of children from imprisoned parents and instructed SOS Children's Villages and other orphanages to conceal their identities and whereabouts. A joint investigation by BBC Eye, Lighthouse Reports, and other media outlets in September 2025 revealed that the Syrian government used these children as leverage for pressure and prisoner exchanges.
One example highlighted is that of sisters Layla and Layan Ghbeis, who were eight and four years old respectively when they were taken from their mother, Omama, and placed in SOS facilities in 2015. They were reunited with their parents three years later in a prisoner exchange, with Layan reportedly not recognizing her mother upon their reunion. The family later relocated to the United States as refugees, but the trauma of their separation continues to affect them.
The decision not to release the report has exacerbated tensions within the charity. Several national associations, including those in the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, France, and the Netherlands, which were significant financial contributors, have chosen to leave the federation and operate independently. In December, the directors of the German association, SOS Children's Villages Worldwide, the largest single contributor, voted to leave. However, their supervisory board, acting as a trustee, overruled this decision and dismissed the three directors in February.
SOS Worldwide stated that the directors were fired for "serious breaches of duty," a claim disputed by the directors who are contesting their dismissal in German courts. Prior to their dismissal, the German directors had allocated funds for "voluntary compensation" for Syrian victims, but no payments have been made, according to leaked documents. A spokesperson for SOS stated the charity is willing to support those affected, but assistance is contingent on "legal and practical conditions that require co-ordination with relevant parties." Syrian families interviewed by the BBC expressed that they are still awaiting contact and support from SOS Children's Villages.