After thirteen years of conflict in Syria, almost 7.5 million children in the country are in need of humanitarian assistance – more than at any other time during the conflict, said UNICEF on Friday.

Repeated cycles of violence and displacement, a crushing economic crisis,  extreme deprivation, disease outbreaks and last year’s devastating earthquakes have left hundreds of thousands of children exposed to long-term health issues.

More than 650,000 under-fives are chronically malnourished, representing an increase of around 150,000 recorded four years ago.

According to a recent household survey conducted in northern Syria, 34 per cent of girls and 31 per cent of boys reported psychosocial distress, UNICEF reported.

Child deaths will continue

“The sad reality is that today, and in the days ahead, many children in Syria will mark their 13th birthdays, becoming teenagers, knowing that their entire childhood to date has been marked by conflict, displacement and deprivation,” said UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa Adele Khodr.

Marking the grim anniversary of the start of Syria’s civil war, UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen emphasized the dire situation highlighting the unprecedented humanitarian crisis with millions in need of assistance, both inside and outside Syria.

He called for an immediate end to violence, the release of those arbitrarily detained and efforts to address the plight of refugees together with the internally displaced.

Source: UN News

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147621