ASIA/SYRIA - Syrian Children victims of a conflict that they ignore

Damascus (Agenzia Fides) - Without understanding what is happening in their country, Syrian children have become victims of a conflict that has already left a mark that they will bear for the rest of their lives and that has forced them to seek refuge in neighboring countries like Lebanon. A year has gone by since the revolt against the Syrian regime started and, because of the bombings in the province of Homs, over 10 thousand people continue to seek refuge. Most refugees arrive with nothing, they have no means of subsistence or to meet the costs of housing, electricity, food, clothing and personal hygiene products. The aid they receive can barely meet their basic needs, more obviously in the case of children who need milk, underwear, clothes and food with high protein content. The physical wounds are not the only ones that affect these young ones, violence affects them psychologically. According to a pediatrician of the hospital in Damascus, adults can overcome their fear but for them it is not the same thing. Meanwhile, in Syria, children do not escape from the torture and killings. Recently, the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF) condemned the killing of very young children and women in the village of Karm el Zaitun, in Homs. According to UN data, over a year now, over 8 thousand people have been killed, including hundreds of children because of government repression, while the regime continues to blame the terrorist groups. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 21/3/2012)