The Syrian Conflict: The Forgotten Ones

DAMASCUS, Syria — When war strikes in a country, worries about the economy, infrastructure of the government and potential recovery from conflict looms in the minds of many. There is a group, however, that often gets forgotten. They are the true casualties of war: children.
For the last three years, Syria has been a battle ground between two groups: those who are loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and the opponents of the president. When protests turned violent, Syria erupted.
In the course of three years, over 100,000 Syrians have been killed and about 9 million Syrians have either fled or been displaced within the country as a result of conflict.
Out of the 9 million displaced within Syria or in refugee camps, 3 million are children, an October 2013 NPR report stated. These precious victims of armed conflict have suffered more than most can comprehend. The children of Syria have had their education and family life affected and have been psychologically damaged.

Loss of Education

Before civil conflict erupted in Syria, its education system was something sought after in the entire region. Literacy rates were over 90 percent and there was a 97 percent attendance rate for primary school aged children before conflict broke out in 2011.
Since the bloodshed began, 4072 schools have either been turned into shelters, storage facilities or military bases. As a result of this, there is an estimated 2.8 million Syrian children out of school. 60,000 child refugees in Jordan are so far behind in school that it’s too late to enroll in the public school system, UNICEF reports.
There have been places who have welcomed Syrian refugees, such as in Gaziantep, Turkey, which opens schools for the children with curriculum similar to what the students were taught back home. Opening these schools is challenging, however, because the average class size is about 40 students.

Families Disbanded

A study reported by NPR showed that three out of four of the children who arrived in Turkey had lost a loved one.
Once conflict broke out, families fled to bordering countries for refuge. For more than 8,000 children, somewhere along the way, they arrived at neighboring countries alone. Some were displaced or orphaned, alone and scared.
In June 2014, Italy reported over 9,000 child immigrants to have come from Syria since the beginning of the year. In the 58,000 total immigrants who arrived in Italy, 3,160 were unaccompanied minors–many of whom were under five years of age.
These children get lost and forgotten. Children abandoned, orphaned or displaced become extremely susceptible to joining in organized crime, being kidnapped or taken for human and organ trafficking.

Psychological Warfare

Adults are not the only ones vulnerable to PTSD. As products of the Syrian conflict, children have a hard time forgetting what they saw, smelled and heard.
“It’s like a terrifying nightmare that just keeps going on and on. You live everyday as if it’s your last because you might die any second, “a doctor in rural Damascus said.
Because of the horrifying conditions they come out of, these affected children come to refugee camps with depression and sometimes PTSD. NPR reports some children have a difficult times transitioning out of survival mode. Because of this, children are hyper-alert and often act out in anger or aggression.
Displays of PTSD through anger and aggression can be seen in the refugee camp Zaatari, located in Jordan. Here, children can be seen “punching, fighting or throwing rocks.”
As disheartening as it may seem, hope shines through with these children. Signs of healing can be seen in the camp with children watching the classic cartoon Tom and Jerry, using their imagination while building with Legos and sandcastles or even playing a game of soccer.
With just these small acts, the will of the human spirit once again proves stronger than any outside force that tries to damage it.