Syria remains among world's most disastrous humanitarian crises

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Syria remains among the world's most disastrous humanitarian crises.

This was at the forefront of a recent report of the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, which brought to light the ongoing catastrophe. It was released on 18 March - 100 days after Syria's long-term President Bashar al-Assad's dictatorship abruptly collapsed on 8 December after decades of his family reigning.

Reflecting on the suffering in the tried Middle Eastern nation, UNICEF decried that 16.7 million people, including 7.5 million children, are in need in the embattled nation.

Moreover, it noted that over 7.4 million people are internally displaced, with more than half being children.

The immense suffering of children

Detailing horrors facing children, the agency highlighted that over 7.5 million children in Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance and that all children are facing some form of psychosocial distress.

At least 5 million children are threatened by unexploded ordnances and UNICEF lamented that estimates show nearly 300,000 unexploded devices are scattered throughout Syria. 

In a country where 14.9 million people need healthcare assistance, the UN Children's Fund reported 500,000 children are malnourished, and 2 million children have no access to adequate nutrition.

At this time, nearly 2.5 million children are out of school, and more than 1 million children risk dropping out.

Moreover, the UN organization added, 7.2 million children need educational support, and 1 in 3 schools is unusable because it has been destroyed, damaged, or used as a shelter for displaced persons.

Poverty and damaged infrastructure

Access to essential services and providing for basic needs also leaves much to be desired, UNICEF explained, drawing attention to the inadequacy of water and sanitation services.

Estimates, it continued, show that nine out of ten people in Syria live below the poverty line, one in four are unemployed, and roughly two in three people live in extreme poverty.