Syria: Children Trapped, Traumatized in Endless War
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sysAdmin
- . November 28, 2023
- . Update: November 28, 2023 3:38 pm
The children in Syria have been trapped in an endless war that continues to consume lives and their very being, amid widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and displacement of more than two million people.
According to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the total number of grave violations against children increased by 10 percent compared to the previous report.
Armed groups were responsible for 65 percent of grave violations, including factions operating under the umbrella of the opposition Syrian National Army, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the Syrian Democratic Forces and Da’esh.
Children Are Suffering
The report states that children in Syria have been trapped in over a decade of war. They lack access to life-saving humanitarian assistance, medical services and education. “Most children are being used in combat roles. The already high number of children casualties increased further by 30 percent with explosive ordnance being the leading cause of the killing and maiming of children. Over 10 million Syrians are living in contaminated areas, of which 50 percent are children, putting them at risk of death and injury.”
It highlighted that children are deprived of liberty. This could be used as a measure of last resort and for the shortest period of time, in line with international juvenile justice standards and the best interests of the child.
The Special Representative expressed concerned about the humanitarian situation and violence affecting children in Hawl and Rawj camps and other places of detention.
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Syria Economic Situation
Geir Pedersen, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, said Syrians are suffering acutely from the conflict. The Syrian currency has also lost over 80 percent of its value. Perdersen pointed out that Syria cannot fix its economy while it is in a state of conflict.
“No one actor or group of actors can determine the outcome of the conflict or bring about the kind of steps needed for a political solution to emerge. The intra-Syrian political process has been in a deep freeze. The only path out of this is a political process that involves the Syrian parties themselves.”
Syria’s humanitarian cost because of the ongoing war is staggering. Rebuilding the country will be a mammoth task.
