Alwaght- Every war has its victims; those who are killed, injured, tortured, or left homeless as a result of the hostilities. And every war takes its toll on children, who are often the unnoticed victims of war. The war on Syria has likewise made its mark on Syrian children, especially refugees whose faces have come to resemble the visage of torment. They are now close to being referred to as the lost generation.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned of a risk of a lost generation of Syrian children. A total of 2.7 million Syrian children are missing out on an education due to the conflict, Radio Sputnik reported. UNICEF's Najwa Mekki confirmed that the country's would-be students have found themselves in dire conditions.
While the bulk of these children are inside Syria, those who have been forced to seek refuge in other countries are facing similar challenges when it comes to education. Forty percent of Syrian refugee children in Turkey are not in school, according to UNICEF.
"What a future of a child who was not able to go to school. What is the future of the country that child belongs to? What the future of the world when you look at the next generation of people being uneducated," Mekki inquired.
The fear of losing an entire generation, a generation that is growing up in the shadow of a gruesome war, is not entirely linked to education. There are other conditions under which Syrian childrens lives are being consequentially affected.
Both within Syria and without it, Syrian children are suffering.
"And it is important that we give them the support necessary so that they live in dignity, so that they recover their rights, so that they have a minimum of basic elements, that is all they ask for education, health, access to services, something that allows them to survive and to survive with dignity," she said.
Basic necessities are not always available with limited access to health services, food, and water impinging on their rights.
School
Before the war, Syrias education system was said to be solid with almost 100% primary school enrolment and 70% of children attending secondary school. A 2004 census placed Syrias literacy rate 79.6%. In 2002, education was made compulsory and free from grades 1 to 9.
In 2016, UNICEF reports that 2.1 million children in Syria and 700 000 Syrian refugee children do not have access to education.
Poverty
Around 7 million children in Syria live in poverty, according to UNICEF.
The war has negatively impacted the socio-economic situation in Syria, specifically as a result of sanctions against Damascus. As a result of depleted resources, public sector incomes have been reduced and prices have increased.
In 2015, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program, 9.8 million Syrians suffer from food insecurity.
Child Labour
Against the backdrop of dire economic situations, many Syrian children are forced into child labour.
Despite laws prohibiting this, the issue has pervaded the Syrian community both inside the country and outside. Children, especially boys, are sent off to work and earn additional income for their family. This is even common in neighbouring countries where Syrian refugee children are employed on the sly.
Healthcare
Before the conflict broke out, the average life expectancy was 75 while child survival figures were considerably high. However, the war has scarred the healthcare system and so millions are suffering.
Attacks against medical staff, hospitals, and clinics have jeopardized childrens lives and impeded medical treatment. Limited healthcare facilities, staff, and resources have taken their toll on civilians.
For example, vaccine programs are believed to have decreased as opposed to a %91 coverage rate before the war. Diseases like polio now affect up to 80,000 children in Syria in spite of being previously eliminated. In 2016, Save the Children counted 200,000 deaths from chronic diseases because of a lack of access to treatment.
Even Syrian refugees in host countries are having trouble receiving proper medical treatment. In some cases, funding shortages and other circumstances stand in the way. According to Amnesty International, Syrian refugees have been unable to access health care and other vital services due to insufficient support and obstructions by the government in Jordan.
There is no doubt that children have been unjustly caught in the crossfire. In a world where adults are engaged in bloody wars, children are certainly considered to be innocent victims, victims who did not choose to take part in the action but who have somehow ended up caught up in its midst. As the sixth anniversary of the war on Syria nears, many are hoping for an end to the conflict so that Syrias lost generation would not be lost.
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