Videos published on social media showing Syrian children rescued out of demolished houses or schools shocked many in 2016.
A recently published Unicef report finds that 2016 has been the worst year for Syrian children, with a sharp increase in incidents of killing, maiming and recruitment.
“We really found that the data confirms it, it’s been the worst year for children in a war that has been itself so terrible and that has lasted for so long,” the Chief of Humanitarian affairs for Unicef in the Middle East and North Africa, Genevieve Boutin, said in Amman, Jordan.
The report indicates that limited access to many parts of the war-torn country have made it difficult to address the full scale of children’s suffering. These limitations also hinder the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian assistance to vulnerable boys and girls.
There are 2.8 million children in hard-to-reach areas, including more than 280,000 living under siege and cut off from assistance, according to the report.
Boutin called for restraint among all parties of the conflict, and an immediate cessation of violations.
After six years of war, more than 6 million children depend on humanitarian assistance, UNICEF said.
Millions more have been displaced and are living as refugees in nearby countries including Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon.
(REUTERS)
