Since the start of the Syrian conflict, 3.7 million children have been born. Among them, more than 300,000 children were born in refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan or Turkey.
Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, around 3.7 million children have been born in the country. Today, one in three Syrian children has only known war. Violence, fear and uprooting are their daily lives, according to a UNICEF report entitled “No place for children”.
In total, the United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that 80% of children, or 8.4 million of them, are affected by civil war, whether they are in Syria or in refugee camps in Lebanon. , Jordan or Turkey. In these neighboring countries, the number of refugees has increased tenfold in less than 5 years. More than 15,000 children, isolated or separated from their families, have crossed the border to flee the war.
“In Syria, violence has become commonplace. It affects homes, schools, hospitals, playgrounds and places of worship, deplores Dr Peter Salama, UNICEF’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. Almost 7 million children live in poverty. Their childhood has become synonymous with loss and deprivation. “
Child soldiers recruited from age 7
According to this report, 1,500 cases of “serious violence” against children have been identified by Unicef. More than 60% of them are cases of mutilation and assassination, consequences of the use of explosive weapons in inhabited areas. More than a third of the children killed were on the way to school or in class, the United Nations agency is alarmed.
“During these five years of conflict, millions of children have grown up too quickly,” regrets Dr. Peter Salama. They pay the price of an adult war: they keep dropping out of school, many of them are forced to work, and the girls marry early. “.
In fact, in this context of civil war, many young boys aged 15 to 17 were recruited by forced armed forces. Initially, these warrior children served far from the front lines. But since 2014, all the belligerents have enlisted younger children – sometimes as young as 7 – and often without parental consent. In 2015, more than half of these child soldiers were under 15, compared to 20% the previous year. These minors receive military training and take part in combat, sometimes on the front line to carry and maintain weapons or to treat and evacuate the wounded. They are also used to hold checkpoints, or take on the role of executioners or snipers.
Give them back their dignity
For Unicef, one of the most important challenges is the education of children. More than 2 million children have left school in Syria or in neighboring countries where they have taken refuge. “It is not too late for the children of Syria. They still have the hope of living with dignity, of having a life that offers them prospects. They continue to have dreams of peace and they still have the possibility of making these dreams come true ”, assures the regional director of Unicef for the Middle East and North Africa.
So to take care of these children and restore their dignity, Unicef estimates it needs $ 1.4 billion in 2016. For the time being, the Agency has received only 6% of the necessary funds.
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