Five years into the war in Syria, UNICEF says it has registered almost 1,500 cases of severe rights violations against minors. Its report says children are being deliberately killed and forced to work as soldiers.
The latest report from the United Nations’ children’s relief agency does not make for easy reading. After five years of war, UNICEF describes how children are being.
Included in the statistics are more than 150 cases of children who were killed or injured at school, or while they were on their way to or from school.
“Snipers are directly targeting children, and there are bomb attacks on schools.,” Christian Schneider, the executive director of UNICEF Germany, told DW.

A lost generation?
Five years is a long time in the life of a child, said Schneider. “Five years of war in Syria means 3.7 million children that were born during the conflict. Children who don’t know anything else but fear and having to flee. The bombs and the shooting are a daily part of their lives.”
Geneviève Boutin told DW about her discussions with children who have fled the war. All of them dream about going back home one day, going to school and living with their families. UNICEF’s task now is to protect these children living in Syria and neighboring countries, and trying to get them access to education.
 Boutin says many children are seriously traumatized.

Millions of Syrian children have known little more than war, violence and destruction

Awaiting disaster

The majority of Syrians are very poor; they can’t flee to Europe, nor do they want to. Around 86 percent of Syrian refugees are living in the poorest parts of Lebanon. German Development Minister Gerd Müller says the West will pay the price if it doesn’t give more aid to Syria’s neighboring countries, such as Lebanon. “Imagine what will happen if this country that has taken in 1.5 million refugees falls apart. Then we won’t just have several hundred thousand refugees more, we’ll also have a political conflagration in the region. We should not just sit back, awaiting
disaster before taking action,” said Müller.

Syria’s direct neighbors, such as Lebanon, have taken in the most refugees

UNICEF’s executive director sees things similarly. If there’s not enough money to take care of people where they are and to rebuild destroyed infrastructure, the people will flee, Christian Schneider said. “When people have lost all hope of a better future, then they will come, and no one can stop them.”
The UNICEF report is called “No place for children.” But if such fears become reality, it would be more accurate to call it “No place for anyone.”

Source: DW, 14 March 2016