Syrian children bear the scars of 10 years of conflict and displacement | AFP скачать в хорошем качестве

Syrian children bear the scars of 10 years of conflict and displacement | AFP

Ten years of fighting have irreversibly changed Syria and the lives of its people. An entire generation of Syrians has grown up knowing little but war. According to the UN, half a million children in Syria are chronically malnourished, hundreds of thousands are suffering from psychological distress and 2.4 million children have been pushed out of school. #Syria10 Subscribe to AFP and activate your notifications to get the latest news 🔔    / @afp   SCRIPT: Ten years of fighting have irreversibly changed Syria and the lives of its people. More than 20 million still live in the country, while over 5.6 million have fled mostly taking refuge in neighbouring countries. They all bear scars of the conflict. An entire generation has grown up knowing little but war. "These four children haven't lived anything over the past ten years but fear, hunger, crying, loneliness, cold, the loss of a father... I hope that no one has to live as we have lived over the past ten years." Unfathomable violence and human tragedy have brought Syria to its knees. Nearly 80 percent of people in the country now live in poverty. Half a million children in Syria are chronically malnourished and hundreds of thousands are suffering from psychological distress. The war has also pushed 2.4 million children out of education. (Source: OCHA, UNICEF). In this camp along the Syria-Turkey border lives 10-year-old Aalwan. He was born just days after Syria’s uprising began in March 2011. "What I've experienced during the revolution... my mother died from a bombing and the regime destroyed our home... they destroyed homes, they destroyed hospitals, they destroyed schools, and now they took our home, our village, and they won't let anyone return." "Any time we hear a plane we get scared. At school they say that people travel on planes, but every time I see a plane I know that it's about to strike, to bomb." "I was born with the revolution, that's what God wanted, but if only I hadn't come at this time because my classmates and friends... some of them have been displaced, some have died, and some are still with me, only two or three." Over the course of the war, the UN has verified that nearly 12,000 children have been killed or injured. Although they believe numbers are likely much higher. The conflict has impacted every aspect of children’s lives. “The situation for Syrian children is absolutely terrible. We have 90 percent or almost every child who's from Syria whether inside the country or in neighbouring countries, 90 percent in need of assistance.” “Behind those numbers behind those figures that we've been collecting and we've been using for the past 10 years there are stories, stories of perseverance, stories of courage, stories of determination. Kids who continue to go to school or find creative ways to learn so that they can fulfil their dreams.” Last year saw the lowest number of casualties by far since the start of the war with military operations having significantly wound down. But while to the outside world it may look like the conflict has essentially ended the lives of many Syrians are still a constant struggle. For some there is little to look forward to. "I have about 200 children under the age of 10, boys and girls. Their lives have been destroyed, why? Their future is hopeless. What in their future is good? What can I expect for them? The situation everywhere is only getting worse. What kind of future can I hope for them to have? Point your camera at them. What's their future? Their future is nothing." While Syrians wait for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, the United Nations child agency says that continued support is crucial and so planning for the future. “Syria's children are not a lost generation, Syria’s children are not a lost generation, Syria's children do everything possible to continue learning. We believe that hope comes out from education and that if we equip the children with the skills that they need right now surely they can and they will rebuild Syria. The beautiful country, the diverse country that got destroyed because of this war. They will be able. Children are the future of this country and they will rebuild it when peace comes back.”