Children and the consequences of the Syrian war

In armed conflict, children are often the target of deliberate attacks, lack adequate protection, or both. The conflict has had a profound impact on the lives of Syrian children. 

Syrian children are regularly exposed to increasing violence and explosive weapon attacks. In both Syria and in neighboring countries, Syrian children face the burden of providing for their families. In 2014, the UN found that the Syrian regime had detained and tortured children. Syrian children are one of the most vulnerable groups in the Syrian civil war. 

More than 11.1 million Syrians have been affected by the war, nearly half of whom are children. Parents struggle to send their children to school, many teachers are unpaid, and dilapidated school buildings are collapsing.

 About 2.5 million Syrian children are out of school. This number does not include the 750,000 Syrian refugee children living in neighboring countries with no education. About 60% of children across the country suffer from hunger and 28% suffer from stunting due to malnutrition.

With no income to feed their children, many families believe this is the best option and send their boys as child soldiers. In 2021 alone, nearly 840 children were drafted into child soldiers, 797 of them boys.

Desperately unable to support their children to save their daughters from "child trafficking and sexual exploitation," many families marry teenage girls. Millions of displaced people and homeless children in northwestern Syria are experiencing harsh winters. 

About 75% of all Syrian children killed in 2020 come from this region. Of the 1,500 children who became ill, a third died at school or while going to and from school. It is difficult to estimate the number of Syrian refugee children working, as families and employers hid the problem for fear of after-effects, but in 2015 there were 13 to 34, according to a UNICEF and Save Children report.

 Stateless children in Syria do not have access to government services, including health care facilities, educational institutions, and judicial aid, because they do not have civilian documents. As a result, these children are extremely vulnerable to food insecurity, marginalization, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, labor, displacement, and forced marriage. 

More than 25,000 children have died since the outbreak of the war, and this number is growing due to limited health care and lack of access to clean water. 

Poor sanitation due to lack of infrastructure, resources and clean water makes Syrian children vulnerable to cholera and other diarrheal diseases. The extremely cold weather in northwest Syria also makes children susceptible to pneumonia. 

Syrian children and youth demonstrate the importance of resilience and determination despite the enormous challenges they face. We will continue to support Syrian children and host communities, and we believe in the support of the international community.

 

_{Source and Credit: Human Rights Watch, UN, Anadolu Agency}