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Human Rights Report: 30,293 Syrian Children Victims of Conflict Since 2011
The Syrian Network for Human Rights has reported that the number of Syrian children who have died since the onset of the conflict in March 2011 stands at 30,293, including 225 children who died as a result of torture, while 5,298 children remain detained or missing.
This announcement came in the thirteenth annual report by the network concerning violations against children in Syria, coinciding with Universal Children's Day. The report, spanning 39 pages, confirmed that Syrian children have witnessed a significant increase in the scale and severity of violations committed by all parties involved in the conflict.
These violations have contributed to creating an unsafe environment that threatens the basic rights and daily lives of children. Children have faced a wide range of abuses akin to those suffered by adults, from killings and permanent disabilities caused by injuries to arbitrary detention affecting hundreds of children, as well as enforced disappearances that have left thousands of children lost and separated from their families for years.
The report also documented various forms of torture, forced recruitment on behalf of warring parties, and sexual violence, which is considered one of the most horrific violations that children endure. Violations have also included the denial of education and access to essential healthcare services.
The report referenced findings in the United Nations Secretary-General's annual report on children and armed conflict for 2023, which documented 1,574 serious violations against children in Syria during the same year.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights reiterated its commitment to documenting these violations and providing the United Nations with accurate information regarding war crimes against children. Additionally, the report highlighted the nomination of children Ahmad and Sana Abdul Karim Al-Zeir for the International Children's Peace Prize 2024, in recognition of their efforts to support their peers and convey the suffering of children affected by the conflict.
The report indicated that the Syrian Network documented the deaths of 30,293 children at the hands of warring parties in Syria from March 2011 to November 20, 2024, with 23,058 killed by Syrian regime forces, 2,059 by Russian forces, 1,010 by various armed opposition factions, 959 by ISIS, 927 by the international coalition forces, 274 by the Syrian Democratic Forces, and 76 by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, while 1,930 were killed by other entities.
Furthermore, the report stated that, according to the network's database, at least 5,298 children remain in detention, held, or forcibly disappeared by conflict parties in Syria from March 2011 until November 20, 2024, with 3,702 detained by Syrian regime forces, 859 by the Syrian Democratic Forces, 371 by various armed opposition factions, 319 by ISIS, and 47 by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
