SOS shares plunge 16.82% after-hours as Syria unit faces mass layoffs, child disappearance investigations, and leadership suspensions.

SOS fell 16.82% in after-hours trading following revelations of a crisis at SOS Children’s Villages Syria. Investigations into the disappearance of over 500 children under the Assad regime triggered mass layoffs, leadership suspensions, and restructuring. Judicial scrutiny, potential 15-year prison sentences for implicated staff, and threats to revoke the organization’s license created severe reputational and operational risks. The association’s admission of donor withdrawal and program cuts further undermined confidence, as stakeholders feared gaps in Syria’s social welfare sector. While unrelated BBC coverage of DIY SOS projects (Reasons 2–4, 6) highlighted positive humanitarian efforts, they did not offset the negative impact of the Syria-linked scandal. A U.S. community art project (Reason 5) using "SOS" for ocean conservation was similarly irrelevant to the stock’s movement.