In 2015 there were 1,500 cases of child rights violations reported in Syria, among which 60% were classified as murder and physical injury. About 30% of these cases occurred in school or on the way there.
Doctor of sociology in Syria, Amina Al-Khaj, in an interview with Sputnik Arabic confirmed that the destructive impact of war has affected a great number of Syrian children and their future.
“They have no place to hide from the terrible reality because both their families and schools to some degree have been destroyed,” Amina said.
She further said that the children have been deprived of the opportunity to engage in sports or some other activities. Their fundamental rights such as going to school and being able to play have been violated.
“Many children beg on the streets, and some of them get engaged in more dangerous things,” the doctor said.
Amina further said that currently Syria is faced with such a terrible thing as the recruitment of children into the ranks of terrorists.
Young Syrians have many motives to join the ranks of the terrorists such as the death of a family member, coming under the wrong influence and also need of money.
“The task of psychologists, Syrian and foreign is to provide the necessary psychological support to Syrian children. Even if today we do not see the destructive effects of war, it will manifest itself later and that is our future. Therefore, this should be given maximum attention right now,” Amina said.
With the Syrian crisis in its sixth year, the UN’s World Food Program estimates that some 13.5 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance, almost half of them children.
Around 4.5 million live in hard-to-reach places and close to a half a million are trapped in besieged areas with no access to food, water, electricity or medical supplies.
Syria has been engulfed in a violent conflict since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups.
