Guns and bombs aren’t the only weapons destroying lives in Syria

Children have lost lives and limbs. They have lost classrooms and teachers, brothers and sisters, friends, caregivers, homes and stability. Instead of learning and playing, many have been forced to work for their survival while others are being recruited to fight on the frontlines.

But for Syrians who remain in the country, dangers like starvation and dehydration can be a more pressing threat than being killed by bombs or gunfire. While more traditional weapons of war continue to kill civilians, essential needs like food and water are being weaponised too.

 

 

After regaining access to Madaya, UNICEF, as part of a UN, ICRC and Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoy delivered micronutrients, high energy biscuits, therapeutic food and medication for the treatment of severe and acute malnutrition.
 

Control of water resources

Unsafe drinking water and poor hygiene practices are multiplying the risks of infections and illness among children. More than two-thirds of children – 70 per cent – in Syria are without safe and reliable water.

In some cases, parties to the conflict have cut water deliberately, using it as a tactic of war and depriving millions of civilians of clean water for drinking and domestic use. In early 2016, UNICEF reported that water in Aleppo was cut for 48 days.

Tactics include shutting water off at the source, airstrikes and ground attacks on water facilities and hindering access for civilian workers to maintain, repair and operate facilities.

UNICEF leads the provision of water and sanitation services to the population of Syria. UNICEF’s programming delivers water and sanitation services for Syrian people in all governorates of the country, focusing on three types of services:
 

• emergency delivery such as water trucking and sanitation kits assist 2.4 million people;
• rehabilitation of infrastructure systems, including systems damaged by military attacks, provides water to 7.8 million people;
• provision of water disinfectant for pumping stations supports clean water delivery to 12 million Syrians across all governorates.

 

Limited medical access

Few health workers are now left in Syria to monitor and protect children. Half of all medical staff have fled the country and only one third of hospitals are functional. Each doctor used to look after the needs of around 600 people – now it’s up to 4,000. And when medical aid professionals are denied access to areas under siege, preventable diseases and illnesses can prove deadly.

When UNICEF and WHO were allowed back into Madaya, medical staff found many children suffering from moderate to severe malnutrition. Two teenage boys, usually less vulnerable to the risk of malnutrition, were dying.

As UNICEF staff worked to resuscitate them, Ali, 16, passed away. His friend, Mohammad, lay emaciated beside him. “We were able to evacuate Mohammad with the support of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in the hope of saving his life. But it was too late. Mohammed was too weak and he died, two days later in the hospital,” says Hanaa Singer, the UNICEF Representative in Syria.

 

Sexual assault

Sexual violence has been used in conflicts across the world to humiliate children and women, destroy communities and exacerbate the already devastating impact of war.

In Syria’s conflict zones, sexual violence has been used as a weapon of war. Boys as young as 13 have been repeatedly raped, young girls impregnated and children abducted, bought and sold as sex slaves. UNICEF has verified thousands of violations against Syrian children in order to expose and end these brutal acts.