Syrians abandon babies at mosques as the war continues
Syrians have abandoned babies at Mosques, hospitals and under trees because of war. According to Syrian officials, babies are being left behind because 12 years of grinding conflict has put Syria into massive poverty.
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According to the Washington-based group Syrians for Truth and Justice, more than 100 children — including 62 girls — were abandoned in Syria between 2021 and 2022. Syrians for Truth and Justice estimated that real numbers could be much higher.
According to human rights groups, the number of these types of cases has increased dramatically since the start of the conflict in Syria. The group also said that the war affected both government-controlled and rebel-held areas in Syria.
According to the report, Syria has witnessed increased poverty, instability, insecurity and child marriage, and sexual abuse cases. Adoption is not allowed in Syria, which increases problems for babies.
According to AFP, earlier, a Syrian named Ibrahim Othman found an abandoned baby girl at the doorstep of the village mosque. He took the baby girl to his home and informed his wife. The man named the baby Hibatullah and decided to raise her.
The man from Hazano, in rebel-held northwest Syria, asked the local authorities for permission to raise the baby girl. Now, the baby girl is three years old. She now calls him “grandpa.”
Syria’s war
According to various reports and sources, the war in Syria has so far killed more than 500,000 people. It has also displaced millions of people inside the country and ravaged the infrastructure. Many people require urgent humanitarian aid to survive in the country.
According to a Syrian health official, during the first 10 months of 2022, 53 abandoned newborn babies were registered in government-controlled areas of the country.
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Earlier this year, Syrian President Bashar Assad issued a decree, creating health facilities for children.