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Childhoods are the biggest casualty in the Syrian War
Almost 80% of Syrian children have been affected by war whether within Syria or outside. If a concerted action is not taken between relief agencies, warring countries and the countries of refuge we may lose an entire generation of children.
Hassan was playing hide-and-seek when the top floor of his house was attacked. Hassan’s mother took her 3 sons and fled. “My mother was carrying my baby brother and we were walking between bodies in the street.” They haven’t heard from Hassan’s father since and don’t know if he’s alive. The family are now refugees in Lebanon and Hassan is desperate to go to school. His brother is teaching him to read and write. “Now I know the alphabet and numbers. I only wish for 2 things: to find my father and go to school.”
Hassan is 5 years old the same age as the war in Syria and is among the 3.7 million ‘Children of War’ – 1 in 3 of all Syrian children born in the shadow of war. This figure includes 306,000 children born as refugees since 2011, according to a UNICEF report.
Last week, as the war in Syria completed 5 years let’s take stock of what this journalist feels is the biggest casualty of the conflict – childhoods. At an age when children should be in school, learning new things, playing innocent games and looking up to their parents for love and guidance; they are fighting an adult war, continuing to drop out of school and many are forced into labour while girls are marrying early. Nearly 7 million children live in poverty, making their childhood one of loss and deprivation.
In total, UNICEF estimates that some 8.4 million children – more than 80 % of Syria’s child population – are now affected by the conflict, either inside the country or as refugees in neighbouring countries. “5 years into the war, millions of children have grown up too fast and way ahead of their time,” said Dr. Peter Salama, UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Most of the ‘Children of War’ have lost a minimum of 1 family member while some of them have been maimed themselves. I find it difficult to comprehend how these tiny children come to terms with the psychological impact of losing someone from their family at a tender age. It is only natural that many children shed their childhoods and take up family responsibilities. To many it means not going to school but scavenging broken furniture and other wooden items that could fuel fire for warmth and cooking, to some others it means working at stalls while the unfortunate ones find themselves enlisted at a tender age of 15.
The most heart breaking fall outs of the war has been that children’s learning has been disrupted. School attendance rates inside Syria have hit rock bottom. UNICEF estimates that more than 2.1 million children inside Syria and 700,000 in neighbouring countries, are out-of-school. While the UNICEF and partners have launched the “No Lost Generation Initiative” committed to restoring learning, the absolute apathy towards the young population by the insurgents as well as the alliance countries is grievous and unforgivable.
I am compelled to mention Syrian artist Diala Brisly, who having escaped to Beirut continues to bring hope to children in Syria through her magazine ‘Zayton and Zaytonah’ – like Olive and Oliver, a boy and a girl. “The main purpose is to remind kids about being a human being and keep them away from being a fighter”, says Diala. The magazine carries illustrations by Diala which speak of hope and optimism in the face of the odds. The magazine is surprisingly still printed and circulated among children in Syria.
The Syria conflict began in March 2011 as a popular uprising against President Assad that quickly escalated into civil war. Since then, more than 250,000 people have been killed. Almost half the pre-war population of 23 million has been displaced, including more than 4.8 million who fled their homeland.
If not for UNICEF and other humanitarian organisations from across the globe that have been on the ground since the conflict began, helping mobilize the largest humanitarian operation in history and working closely to provide education, physical protection, psychological support and clothing to Syrian refugee children in Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and other countries; these children will lose whatever little hope that they are clinging to.
The only fault of these Children of War is that they are born in the wrong country at the wrong time. Grasped in the vice of a political storm they have lost their innocence, their childhoods and maybe very soon the hope of a better future. Will we be able to look into our children’s eyes tomorrow and give them a straight answer when they ask, “What did we do for these children?” Remember they maybe Children of War today but tomorrow they will be Adults carrying the War inside them and who knows that War may turn up at our doorstep.
The political theatre over Syria has inflicted a lot of damage and the worst casualty being childhoods and creating an entire generation of ‘Children of War’. Whether we cradle this generation and soothe their wounds or we leave them by the roadside allowing bitterness against the entire world to fester in their minds is entirely in the hands of powers that be. All I would say in parting is, we cannot afford to sow more seeds of potential hatred for I wouldn’t want my children to partake the poisonous fruit of these seeds.
Image Courtesy: National Geographic
Video Credits: BBC