UNITED NATIONS, New York
Some 4.8 million children have
been born in Syria since the conflict began nine years ago. An additional 1
million have been born as refugees in neighboring countries. They continue to
face the devastating consequences of a brutal war, the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Sunday.
"The
war in Syria marks yet another shameful milestone today," said UNICEF
Executive Director Henrietta Fore who was in Syria last week. "As the
conflict enters its 10th year, millions of children are entering their second
decade of life surrounded by war, violence, death and displacement. The need
for peace has never been more pressing."
According
to verified data from 2014, when official monitoring began, until 2019, 5,427
children were verified killed -- an average of one child every 10 hours since
monitoring began -- and 3,639 verified injured in the conflict; close to 5,000
children -- some as young as seven -- were recruited into the fighting; nearly
1,000 education and medical facilities came under attack.
As these
are just the verified numbers, the true impact of this war on children is
likely to be more profound.
"The
context in Syria is one of the most complex in the world. Violence and active
conflict sadly continue in several locations including in the northwest with
severe consequences on children, while in other parts children are reconnecting
with some of their lost childhood, slowly rebuilding their lives," said
Ted Chaiban, UNICEF regional director for UNICEF in the Middle East and North
Africa, who accompanied Fore on her trip to Syria.
"It
is evident, however, that nine years of brutal fighting brought the country to
the brink. Families told us that in extreme cases they had no choice but to
send their children to work or marry their girls early. No parent should be
forced to make such decisions," he said.
In
northwest Syria, the escalation in armed conflict, combined with harsh winter
conditions and plummeting temperatures, on top of an already dire humanitarian
crisis, has exacted a heavy toll on hundreds of thousands of children and
families. More than 960,000 people, including more than 575,000 children, have
been displaced since Dec. 1, 2019.
In the
northeast, at least 28,000 children from more than 60 countries remain
languishing in displacement camps, deprived of the most basic services. Only
765 children had been repatriated to their countries of origin as of January
this year.
Wider impacts
of almost a decade of conflict include: two in five schools cannot be used
because they are destroyed, damaged, sheltering displaced families or being
used for military purposes; over half of all health facilities are
non-functional.
More than
2.8 million children are out of school inside Syria and in neighboring
countries; over two-thirds of children with physical or mental disabilities
require specialized services that are unavailable in their area; prices of
basic items have increased 20-fold since the war began.
"The
warring parties and those supporting them have failed to end the carnage in
Syria," Fore said. "Our message is clear: Stop hitting schools and
hospitals. Stop killing and maiming children. Grant us the crossline and
cross-border access we need to reach those in need. Far too many children have
suffered for far too long."
UNICEF
works with a wide network of partners inside Syria and in neighbouring
countries to provide aid to children.
Last year, UNICEF was
able to reach nearly 750,000 children with routine immunization or vaccination
against measles, over 1 million children with psychosocial support, nearly 3
million children with formal and non-formal education, over 5.3 million people
with safe water through improvements to water supply systems, and nearly 2
million people with water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and sanitation
services.
UNICEF currently needs
682 million U.S. dollars to maintain these lifesaving programs, but funding is
short.
"The only solution
to the crisis in Syria is through diplomatic means," said Chaiban.
"Humanitarian assistance will not end the war -- but it will help keep
children alive. We count on the generous support of our donors to keep
supporting the children of Syria, despite all the other crises taking place in
the region and around the world."
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