UN: Five million Syrian children displaced
A new report by UN human rights investigators shows that armed groups in Syria are exploiting children for war purposes. Some 2.6 million children are displaced within Syria and 2.5 million have fled the country.
The United Nations Commission announced in its new report today, Thursday, January 16, that various violations have been committed against Syrian children since 2011.
According to the German news agency, the commission's report mentions cases including the use of children in suicide and bombing operations, the recruitment of child soldiers for war, and rape.
UN human rights experts estimate that 2.6 million children are displaced within Syria and 2.5 million have fled the country.
Children deprived of education
The report notes that more than 2.1 million girls and boys in Syria have been deprived of continuing their education, and that tens of thousands have also lost the opportunity to receive education in recent years.
Schools in Syria are frequently targeted by pro-government forces. Some civil society activists reported that on January 1, 2020, at least eight civilians were killed when Syrian government forces fired missiles at a school in the city of Idlib.
Karen Abu Zeid, a member of the UN commission in this regard, pointed out the need for urgent measures by the Syrian government to support the country, calling for the restoration of educational opportunities so that children can return to classrooms.
He added: "Armed groups that have defined territories and borders for themselves must also provide the necessary conditions and facilities for the education of children as quickly as possible."
The plight of Syrian children
The report highlights the pain and suffering of children and the psychological trauma they have suffered, and further describes the worrying situation of children being subjected to "attacks and invasions, sieges, torture, detention, and the loss of their normal way of life."
Citing interviews with five thousand Syrian children and adolescents, the commission emphasized in another part of its report that "many Syrian girls and boys suffer from problems such as sleep disorders, feelings of insecurity, being forced to leave the country, fear of reprisals, hopelessness, and fear."
The Syrian crisis began after a number of Syrian freedom fighters held peaceful demonstrations in March 2011. The demonstrations quickly turned into an all-out battle and conflict, and since then, Syria has become a scene of confrontation between protesters and domestic and foreign powers.
The presence of some of Syria's neighbors in the midst of this and the confrontation between foreign allies and domestic opponents of the Syrian government have made the country a site of many conflicts from various points.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced that around 350,000 people, 80 percent of whom are women and children, have been displaced since early December 2019 from the outskirts of Idlib, the last bastion of defense in the Syrian war, and have taken refuge in border areas near Türkiye.
Source: DW
