The UN children’s organization UNICEF issued a plea on Friday to support Syrian children as the war in Syria nears the start of its 10th year.
“A child dies every 10 hours as a result of the war,” the organization said.
From 2014 through the end of 2019, 5,427 children were killed, UNICEF said in its Syria 9 March 2020 report.
The report also estimated that over 5 million children are in need inside Syria and 2.5 million more in neighboring countries.
“Humanitarian help may not be able to end the war, but it can minimize the suffering of those most affected,” said Christian Schneider, the head of UNIEF Germany.
He noted in a tweet that the war would enter its 10th year on Sunday and added his hope that “the terrible anniversary date would no longer have meaning in 2021.”
In the report, UNICEF said it has received only 40% of the funds needed for 2020 to date and still faces a shortfall of $682 million (€610 million).
Citing data from 2014 when official monitoring began, UNICEF said that “more than 9,000 children were killed or injured in the conflict”.
During the same time “close to 5,000 children – some as young as seven – were recruited into the fighting (and) nearly 1,000 education and medical facilities came under attack”.
The agency warned that the “true impact of this war on children is likely to be more profound”.
Source: AJ
