Save the Children: Do not forget the children of Syria on the 11th anniversary of the popular protests

BERLIN — On the 11th anniversary of the public protests calling for head of the Syrian regime Bashar al-Assad to step down, relief organization Save the Children said that, “all eyes are now on Ukraine”, but there is a lot of suffering elsewhere in the world as well, an implored the general public not to forget the suffering caused by other conflicts.

The Save the Children Berlin office reported that children across Syria are living in appalling conditions in unsafe and unsanitary camps, exposed at any time to fire and suffering from hunger, disease, and malnutrition.

In a report issued on the occasion of the 11th anniversary of the Syrian crisis, the organization explained that 7 percent of children aged 6–59 months suffer from acute malnutrition, which may be fatal, and 13 percent suffer from moderate acute malnutrition.

In 2021 alone, 15 schools in northwest Syria were attacked, according to Save the Children. The United Nations confirmed that at least 2.4 million Syrian children dropped out of school last year, while 6.5 million Syrian children need humanitarian assistance.

“Right now, all eyes are on Ukraine, but we must do everything we can to ensure that the children in Syria are not forgotten,” said Sonia Koch, head of emergency operations for Save the Children in Syria. “The violence in Syria must be stopped to create a safe environment for young people” in Syria, Koch added.