Children of the damned
THE first full picture of the horrors suffered by Syria’s forgotten children will be revealed tomorrow when a report eveals that up to 1,300 have died so far, many the victims of ruthless execution-style killings.
Children as young as eight have been enlisted as fighters while girls and boys of 12 have been sexually abused.
Evidence of horrific beatings and rape will also be revealed to the world in a dossier of appalling crimes compiled by
London-based charity War Child.
The harrowing report Syria: A War On Childhood will make grim reading.
It warns that no child in Syria is safe with the conflict now exploding into a fullscale civil war.
With the death toll passing the 20,000 mark and fighting reaching the streets of the capital Damascus, the charity fears the Syrian armed forces will become even more desperate, with terrifying consequences for the nation’s children.
The Syrian conflict must now rank as one of the worst for the depth and scale of abuses against children
They already have a sickening record of targeting children on the streets.
The report will state:
•Between 500 and 1,300 children have been killed so far, including execution-style killings
•49 children were massacred in one incident
•203 were killed just in June
•635 have been placed in detention centres where torture is commonplace
•Half of 91,000 people registered as refugees in neighbouring states are children War Child chief executive Rob Williams said: “The Syrian conflict must now rank as one of the worst for the depth and scale of abuses against children.
“With government forces becoming more desperate by the day and the crisis deepening as it tightens around Damascus, not one of its children and young people can now be considered safe.”
The charity, which is providing emergency assistance to Syrian children refugees in Lebanon, is calling on Britain
to step up efforts to protect the many thousands of children affected by the crisis.
Evidence is mounting with increasing regularity about the brutality youngsters are facing.
In May, shocking pictures were shown around the world of dozens of children killed when pro-government forces
shelled the town of Houla.
A rebel campaigner claimed 12 children died in the initial shelling but a further 106 were massacred when government
Shabiha militia stormed the town.
The campaigner said: “They killed entire families, from parents down to children, but focused on the children.”
Many survivors are left traumatised and the report is expected to reveal that 470,000 Syrian children are living in fear
for their lives.
War Child has become famous for its work in providing children with medical care, safe havens and counselling.
