Syria: Children’s charity
voices alarm at child deaths in Idlib
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| Aeriel view of destruction in Idlib (AFP) |
Save the Children expresses grave concern at the number of
children being killed due to ongoing fighting in the Syrian province of Idlib.
By Lydia O’Kane
The international charity said in 17 days 17 children lost
their lives and many families have been displaced.
According to activists, airstrikes targeting Idlib killed at
least four people on Monday, including a woman and her child.
Speaking about the alarming situation in the region, Save
the Children’s Media Manager for the Middle East, Joelle Bassoul said, “the
civilian populaton is paying the price for this military operation and children
who number one million in Idlib are at the forefront and sadly the numbers are
increasing by the day.”
Impact on services
Services such as schools and health facilities have also
been heavily impacted by the violence with the Media Manager voicing the
charity’s fears for students. “Soon it will be the start of the school year in
Idlib and we are very worried about schools opening in such circumstances.”
She went on to say that “health services have been
impacted by the fighting”. “Children have been displaced in big numbers; nearly
half a million people have been displaced by the fighting in Idlib. We see many
children now living in open fields, under trees, in tents. With the end of
summer time and the beginning of winter, soon the living conditions are going
to become very difficult”.
40 thousand children forced to move
In less than three weeks, more than 70,000 people including
40,000 children have been forced to move. “Families that have been displaced,
some of them have been displaced up to 10 times because people are on the
move in Idlib fleeing from the frontlines and from the fighting, Ms Bassoul
stressed. She went on to say that, “sometimes they only take the clothes on
their back and when they move, they don’t even have their own belongings with
them. So the needs are immense.”
The charity said that “satellite images reveal that at least
17 villages have been almost completely razed to the ground, including
residential and commercial areas, inhabited by civilians.”
Physiological trauma
In this ongoing conflict, children are not just suffering
from physical injuries, but also physiological trauma too.
“They are not only killed and maimed by the ongoing
violence, but they also suffer mentally and physiologically. We hear a lot
about children not sleeping at night… and just being mentally impacted by the
displacement, Ms Bassoul emphasized”.
As the violence continues, Save the Children is calling on
all parties to the conflict to place the protection of civilians first.
The Syrian civil war has claimed over 370,000 lives and
millions have been displaced since it began in 2011.
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