Syria tops list of worst countries in terms of child recruitment

NEW YORK — According to the latest report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Syria tops the list of recruitment and use of children in war.

UN data and reports from human rights organizations revealed the involvement of all parties to the conflict in Syria in the issue of child exploitation, recruitment, and use in hostilities.

According to international law, the recruitment of those under the age of 15 is a war crime that requires prosecution, according to the International Criminal Court.

The United Nations documented the recruitment of 1,296 children, males and females, most of them by the Turkish-backed factions of the Syrian National Army.

Syria was among the ten ongoing crises highlighted by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) that will need increased attention in 2023.

The IRC publishes an annual list of the ten humanitarian situations that are anticipated to worsen the most over the following year.

Syria’s healthcare system has been decimated by more than ten years of conflict and the country is now on the verge of economic collapse, with food costs and poverty continuing to rise. A staggering 75% of Syrians currently depend on humanitarian aid to satisfy their most basic necessities.

The cost of products is likely to keep rising through 2023 and more people may be forced to leave their homes due to the ongoing fighting and bombings, IRC estimated.

Syria’s water and healthcare infrastructures are in danger of being overwhelmed by the first cholera epidemic in ten years.