The Death of no Less Than 21 Thousands Children in Syria; 19 Thousands Amongst by Government Forces
SNHR has published the report “Children of Syria… Angels with Broken Wings” documenting the killing of 19,773 children at the hands of government forces since March 2011 including 297 children who were killed by snipers and 159 who died under torture.
The report notes that 10,891 have experienced detention at government forces detention centers as there are 2,716 children who are still under arrest.
The report also points out that 37,000 children have lost their fathers at least while about 6,000 have lost their mothers.
Additionally, the report documents that 4083 educational facilities have been damaged which resulted in no less than 2 million children losing access to an education in Syria. Furthermore, government forces recruited hundreds of children in direct and indirect combative operations.
As for ISIS, the report says that ISIS have perpetrated war crimes that includes indiscriminate bombing, extrajudicial killing, torture, physical violence, enforced conscription, and using schools as military centers. 351 children have been killed by ISIS since the organization emerged in April 2013, while 217 children are being arrested by ISIS. In contrast, Al Nusra Front have killed 49 children since the faction emerged in January 2012 and it has 22 children under arrest to this moment.
The report also notes that 729 children have been killed and 84 have been arrested by armed opposition factions. Also, children were used in some military activities.
The report outlines violations perpetrated by Kurdish Self Management forces, which consists mainly of the Democratic Union Party (The Syrian branch for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party), where 62 children have been killed by Self Management forces since it became an active party in Syria in July 2012.
According to the report, 112 children were killed by the International Coalition forces since it began its campaign in Syria on 23 September 2014, while 479 children have been killed by Russian forces since 30 May 2015.
The report also sheds light on the children who were born in refuge countries and don’t have any sort of necessary documents. SNHR estimates the number of children who were born in refugee camps to be 148,000 at least many of those children have no identification papers.
The report calls upon the international community to uphold its responsibilities to end the conflict in Syria, deliver proper aid to children in besieged areas, and force mainly the Syrian regime to end the siege. Also, the report urges the international community to further support neighboring countries in order to provide better healthcare and education.
Furthermore, the report demands the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to create a safe and staple environment for Syrian children in refuge countries in order to reintegrate them with their new societies and invest further in education and healthcare.
