World fails in Syria as children pay price of war

The world is failing the children of Syria who face a “shockingly grave” plight as the conflict rages on and their right to live in peace is threatened, a British watchdog said Monday. “Syria: A war on Childhood” by the London-based organization War Child accuses both Syrian government forces and the opposition of failing to protect children during the deadly 16 months of conflict. “Syrian parties to conflict are guilty of war crimes,” says the report, noting that the situation of children in the unrest-hit and violent country is “shockingly grave.” “The treatment of children has been undeniably callous. Children and young people have been summarily massacred; illegally detained; sexual abused; used in combat; abducted and tortured, denied schooling and access to humanitarian aid; and deliberately targeted in violent attacks.” In a foreword, chief executive Rob Williams said: “By the time we see the end of the conflict in Syria it will be clear that children have paid a heavy price for the right to live in peace, go to school, and feel safe in their homes and communities.” He charged that forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime “and the militias it sponsors have shot, detained, tortured and sexually abused children throughout ... since the uprising began.” And likewise “opposition forces also stand charged with including children in their ranks, and failing to properly protect children when engaging in hostilities in civilian areas,” he said. The report criticizes the “lack of unity at the international level” and charges that the number of children killed in the conflict “increased significantly” since a U.N.-backed peace plan was approved for Syria. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that more than 19,000 people have been killed since the violence erupted in mid-March 2011. It is unclear how many of those are children but human rights groups estimate that about 1,200 children have died in 15 months of conflict and UNICEF, the U.N.’s children’s fund, said in February that hundreds of children have been detained with reports of torture and sexual abuse. “We are failing Syria’s children. We must not continue to fail them in the future,” Williams said. From: The Daily Star