UN: 2016 Was the Worst Year for Children in the Syrian Civil War

The United Nations states that last year was the worst year for children in the Syrian civil war; a conflict that has continued for six years and claimed the lives of over 650 Syrian children in 2016, leaving millions of them in displacement. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported on March 13 that the number of 'deaths, amputations, and recruitment of children has significantly increased' in the past year. The Director of the Middle East section at UNICEF stated, 'The depth of this suffering is unprecedented.' Kurt Kueplar mentioned, 'Millions of Syrian children were under attack every day; their lives have been turned upside down.' According to UNICEF's report, at least 652 Syrian children were killed directly due to the fighting in the country; this number of child victims is 20% higher than the figure estimated in the previous year. Among these, at least 255 children were killed in or near schools. Many children were directly targeted or killed during bombings and other attacks, but a significant number also lost their lives due to lack of access to medical care and basic emergency services. UNICEF reports identifying at least 850 cases of child recruitment, a figure that has also increased compared to 2015, doubling in number. At least 6 million Syrian children are surviving with international and humanitarian aid. 2.3 million of them have sought refuge in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq. Finally, nearly 280,000 of them are currently 'under siege' without access to aid and assistance. The UNICEF report comes just two days before the Syrian civil war enters its seventh consecutive year. The war, which began in 2011, has left hundreds of thousands dead, displaced at least half of the country's population, and brought major economic and social areas of Syria and several of its cultural centers to the brink of destruction.