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This is a fairly common phenomenon in any war; soldiers are sent away to fight and many die. The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that at least 52,077 of the more than 250,000 people killed since the beginning of the war in Syria have been Syrian army soldiers and allied fighters, including many from the capital city. Thousands of other men are being detained and face horrendous conditions in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's prisons. According to Amnesty International more than 65,000 Syrians have been forcibly "disappeared" by members of Assad's security apparatus since 2011. Many thousands of men from the capital have also fled the country and have joined the mass exodus from Syria. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that more than 4.6 million Syrians have fled the war in their country, many to the neighboring states of Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq.
There is an unusual twist to this phenomenon, however, which is that thousands of Damascus' men have also shut themselves inside their houses – effectively becoming war househusbands – because of secret conscription lists aimed at forcing those who have previously completed their military service back into uniform. It's been known for some time that government forces have been depleted and exhausted by the five-year war. Even Assad admitted the insufficiency of his forces as the conflict continues. Draft-dodging is also on the rise. Some men refuse to enlist in the army because they oppose the Syrian government, while others fear being placed on the front line because of their religious affiliation. Some believe the government views soldiers from Islam's Sunni sect as more "disposable" – soldiers from Assad's Alawite sect are usually given safer positions, staffing airports and checkpoints.
Samer, a young father from rural southern Damascus, remembers the exact moment he became one of these househusbands. It was the morning of July 26, when he received a phone call from his brother, Ahmad, telling him that a police officer wanted him to report to the local station right away because he had been drafted to the reserves – despite having completed his compulsory service six years earlier. Legally, he was not supposed to be drafted again. Ahmad told his brother not to leave home except for emergencies. According to a leaked document from the official conscription office, published by pro-opposition Syrian news website Zaman al-Wasl on Nov. 20, the government gave all of its checkpoints the full names and dates of birth of 55,000 men who had evaded military service.
Since that date, the military and security checkpoints spread over the government-controlled areas in Damascus and the coastal region have been strictly screening everyone. "My dreams are just shattered. I have family obligations. I have two kids who need me more than anyone else. No one can take care of them except for me. I work night and day to save them from hunger," Samer said. Samer told us that his brother Ahmad was recently arrested at a checkpoint and conscripted to serve in the reserve force. Ahmad had never received a notice of conscription. The conscription campaign has left men in government-held parts of Syria with one of two options: either take the dangerous path of illegal emigration or head to the front line. Samer said he did not want to fight anybody.
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