According to the report “How 2016 became the worst year for Syria’s children”, at least 652 children were killed, making 2016 the worst year for Syria’s children.
» 647 children were reported injured,
» 255 children were killed in or near a school,
» 338 attacks against hospitals and medical personnel.
“The depth of suffering is unprecedented, millions of children in Syria come under attack on a daily basis, their lives turned upside down. Each and every child is scarred for life with horrific consequences on their health, well-being and future.” UNICEF, Regional Director Geert Cappelaere.
UNICEF also recorded that more than 850 children were recruited to fight in the conflict – double the number recruited in 2015. According to the report there are 2.8 million children living in hard-to-reach areas, including 280,000 living under siege and cut off from humanitarian aid.
“Children are being used and recruited to fight directly on the front lines and are increasingly taking part in combat roles, including in extreme cases as executioners, suicide bombers or prison guards.” UNICEF report.
After six years of conflict, nearly six million children now depend on humanitarian assistance, a twelve-fold increase from 2012, with millions of children being forced to evacuate multiple times.
“Beyond the bombs, bullets and explosions, children are dying in silence often from diseases that can otherwise be easily prevented. Access to medical care, life-saving supplies and other basic services remains difficult.”
More than 2.3 million Syrian children are now living as refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq. At least 88 percent of explosive remnants are a life-threatening hazard, and 75 percent of incidents involving explosive weapons occurred in densely populated areas, including eastern Aleppo.
Source: Al Jazeera. Read full article.
14 March, 2017
