‘Not just another number’; three quarters under 11 years old

(ANSAmed) – GENEVA – One million children have fled fighting in Syria, reported UNHCR and UNICEF in Geneva on Friday. Of the million, about three quarters (740,000) are under age 11. UNICEF director Anthony Lake stressed that the one millionth child refugee was not just another number. “We must all share the shame, because while we work to alleviate the suffering of those affected by this crisis, the global community has failed in its responsibility to this child. We should stop and ask ourselves how, in all conscience, we can continue to fail the children of Syria,” he said. In the words of UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, the survival and well-being of an entire generation of innocent children is at stake. “The youth of Syria are losing their homes, their family members and their futures. Even after they have crossed a border to safety, they are traumatized, depressed and in need of a reason for hope,” he added.

According to the latest figures from the two specialised agencies of the United Nations, about 3,500 Syrian children have fled to Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq unaccompanied by or separated from their families. These children account for over half of the two million refugees who have fled Syria to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. Syrians are arriving in North Africa and Europe ever more often. The price paid by Syrian children in the conflict – now in its third year – is enormous. In addition to the one million child refugees, there are some two million displaced children in Syria and the UN estimates that at least 7,000 of them have been killed. The child refugees are exposed to other threats as well, such as forced labour, early marriage and sexual exploitation. The UNHCR, UNICEF and UN have mobilised to assist Syrian refugees, but much remains to be done. Only 38% of the funds requested to aid the refugees until the end of the year has been received. (ANSAmed).