( CNN ) -- More than 8,000 people have died in the violence surrounding the Syrian uprising in the past year , a U.N. official said Tuesday . And a new Amnesty International report released Wednesday says Syrians detained by the regime are subjected to systemic torture . Dozens of women and children in Homs were some of the latest victims , killed in what activists describe as a massacre over the weekend . The victims were all stabbed to death and burned after `` Syrian forces and thugs '' stormed their homes , according to a member of the Syrian Revolution General Council . Syrian President Bashar al-Assad 's regime insists `` armed terrorist groups '' -- which it routinely blames for the violence -- were behind the killings in the Karm al-Zaytoun neighborhood . CNN can not independently confirm reports of casualties or attacks in Syria because the government has severely restricted the access of international journalists . CNN 's Arwa Damon was able to recently report from inside Syria after she and a CNN crew were secretively taken into Homs with the help of local activists . What do the most recent reports of brutality mean for the future and will the violence only worsen ? Damon , now in Lebanon , explains : . Question : The latest attacks in Homs as described by the opposition are especially brutal -- have there been similar reports in the past and do you think these type of atrocities are getting worse ? Damon : The situation most certainly seems to be worsening . Activists are warning of revenge killings and are warning that they will not be able to control the masses for much longer , which is one of the main reasons why they are calling for international intervention . There were two similar incidences in Karm al-Zaytoun in January , though neither was on this scale . Q : What role does sectarian divides play in all this ? And is the violence expanding into other areas ? Damon : Just about every Syrian across the spectrum is very quick to declare that sectarianism does n't exist . That being said , they do admit to sectarian undertones to what is happening , especially in Homs . The concern is that if the situation is n't resolved , these sectarian undertones could emerge which would be utterly devastating . In the recent attacks in the Karm al-Zaytoun neighborhood , the families were , according to the opposition , all Sunni . The neighborhood is actually a mixed neighbhorhood of Alawite and Sunni . A few weeks ago , activists from Homs were telling us that the neighborhood had basically divided . There was one main road that moved through it , and all of the Alawite families had moved to one side , the Sunni families to another . [ Alawites comprise a branch of Shia Islam ; they are a minority in Syria with Sunnis being about 74 % of the population , according the CIA Factbook. ] . And what 's incredibly difficult in all of this is really trying to independently verify what is taking place . But there is one thing that is undeniable , and that is that this horrific cycle of death continues . And many people are growing increasingly concerned about the underlying sectarian nature of this type of violence . If the situation is n't resolved , activists are warning that these types of massacres will be more widespread . Q : What were things you kept hearing from the people there when you were in Syria ? What was the toll of living in this type of situation taking on the people , especially women and children ? Damon : It is wrecking the population physically , mentally , emotionally . There is hardly a person who has n't lost someone they know to violence or has been detained by the regime . Children are traumatized by the violence . Women are unable to protect their children and are left feeling helpless , vulnerable , frightened . The psychological impact is profound . ( Related : Life and death under Syria 's military onslaught ) Q : U.N. special envoy to Syria , Kofi Annan , recently left Syria after talking with al-Assad about proposals to end the bloodshed . Annan said he 's staying hopeful . What has been the reaction to this from activists ? Damon : It 's very difficult to gauge exactly where [ Annan 's ] sense of optimism is coming from . A lot of activists , following those comments , were posting things to Twitter like , `` Kofi Annan is being blinded by his humanitarian blinders . '' Others saying that he quite simply was unable to see the truth , because the opposition firmly believes that the Assad regime has absolutely no intent of reforming . Trying to bring about any sort of concrete plan that would result in that peace that everyone really does want -- that part most definitely is true -- is going to be incredibly difficult , because both sides are quite simply so polarized and so hardened against one another because of all of the bloodshed . The Assad government is saying that it is not going to relent in its pursuit of these terrorist armed gangs . The opposition is saying that it wo n't even entertain the notion of sitting at a negotiating table until some sort of cease-fire is implemented . And many members of the opposition wo n't even entertain the notion of negotiating with the Assad regime to begin with . They would have to see the president , his entourage removed from power before they will even begin to try to negotiate any sort of way forward . So it 's a very , very difficult situation . But both sides are warning that if some sort of resolution does not take place , the violence is only going to escalate to even more unimaginable heights .
Dozens of Syrian women , children were stabbed and burned to death , activists say . CNN 's Arwa Damon recently returned from dangerous mission inside Syria . She talks about possible sectarian divides , what she heard from residents .