UNICEF: an obscure future awaits thousands of children taking shelter in Al-Hol camp in Syria.
July 22, 2019, 9:52 am

UNICEF an obscure future awaits thousands of children taking shelter in Al-Hol camp in Syria.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced that thousands of children in Al-Hol camp and other parts of Syria are facing an obscure future, and called for improving humanitarian access and providing protection for the children, including reintegration into local communities and safe return to their home.

The UNICEF reported: “Over 70 thousand people take shelter in Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria”

The UNICEF estimates that at least 90% of those are women and children. Nearly 20 thousand of them are from Syria, and the rest approximately 29 thousand, come from 62 other countries with 9 thousand from Iraq.

It added: “The majority of the children in the camp are under the age of 12, and these are the most fragile as they have experienced intense violence and seen violations that are hard to imagine.”

About the challenging humanitarian conditions it said: “Children in Al-Hol camp are facing a very difficult humanitarian situation, and the suffering is growing for many due to their negative experiences of being used or forced to fight and perform extremely violent acts”

The UNICEF added in its report: “Those children are part of a large group of children, which have alleged connections with the armed conflict, and many of them are currently in camps, detention centres or orphanages around Syria, specifically in the north-eastern part of the country. Some reports say that there are children under 12 years old being kept as detainees, and that they are being exposed to a great risk as violence intensifies. In the province of Idlib, northwest of Syria, there are nearly a million children stuck in intense fighting, with their fate and their future hanging in the air.”

The organisation confirmed that children in Al-Hol camp need care and protection, and that they rely on immediate humanitarian assistance especially as summer temperatures soar.

"Thousands of boys and girls in Al-Hol have never had a chance to simply be children," said UNICEF Representative in Syria Fran Equiza after a visit to Al-Hol camp last week. "These are children. They deserve the utmost care, protection, attention and services. After years of violence, they are unwanted, stigmatised by their local communities or shunned by their governments."

Equiza added: “We are working with partners and donors to provide children in Al-Hol with life-saving assistance. This is a drop in the ocean, much more needs to be done to continue providing children with basic services and protection including reintegration into their local communities and safe return to their home countries."

UNICEF is calling on all parties involved: “These are children and not criminals. They have the right to be safeguarded, including legal documentation and family reunification. And the UNICEF appeals on taking actual steps.”

UNICEF is calling on all member states involved to act in the best interests of the child, comply with the international law standards and to take full responsibility for the reintegration of children into their local communities and the safe repatriation of children back to their countries. It is also calling on all parties to the conflict in Syria and those who have influence over them to facilitate unconditional humanitarian access to and inside Al-Hol and everywhere in Syria to reach every child in need, wherever they are.

The UNICEF also announced that it is responding to the needs in Al-Hol camp along with partners. Over the past months, at least 520 unaccompanied or separated children have been identified, 214 have been reunited with family members and another 74 children are being hosted in interim care sites.

UNICEF is also supporting learning spaces at the camp serving 3,000 children, in addition to child-friendly spaces and mobile child safeguarding teams reaching nearly 12,000 children with recreational activities, counseling, case management and special care for separated and unaccompanied children.

Since the beginning of the year, the mobile health and nutrition teams, supported by the UNICEF and the World Health Organization, are providing vaccination and nutrition services to children in the camp through fixed and mobile facilities.

On a daily basis, UNICEF and partners are providing nearly 1.7 million liters of safe drinking water and 750,000 liter of water for domestic use. Water consumption rises during the summer, so securing sufficient water quantities to cover the increase in demand will continue to pose a challenge.

To continue providing assistance and support to children and families in the camp and to scale up operations to meet their needs, UNICEF is appealing for US $9 million.

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.