Nearly two and a half years after the fall of the self-declared caliphate by the terror group ISIS, there seems to be no way out for the tens of thousands of children who have been made homeless.
Aid agencies and observers say the children, some from families who flocked to ISIS and some from families fleeing ISIS forces, are left neglected in refugee camps in northeastern Syria. They are overshadowed by violence and even death.
“The children experienced traumatic events that should not be experienced by children,” said Sonia Khush, Syria response director for the organization Save the Children, in a statement released Thursday.
“Every day they are denied the opportunity to return to their homes, not given the special services they so desperately need, and are not given the right to live in safety.”
In a report on Thursday, the aid group described conditions in the two main camps – al-Hol and Roj, as dire conditions for the 40,000 children living there.
The report stated that the camps were full of garbage and sewage. There is little access to sanitation or health care. Some residents complain that they sometimes live for days without drinking water.
The report further said that the rate of malnutrition was increasing, and various diseases had claimed the lives of the children in the camp. The two conditions bring the average death rate to two children a week for the first eight months of 2021. (ps/ka)
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