Syrian conflict robbing youngsters of their childhood

"Please help end the war so that I can return home." -- Nidal, a 6-year-old child who became a refugee due to the Syrian civil war.

Save the Children, a non-governmental organization that promotes children`s rights, said in a report Tuesday that two million children have become victims of the bloody conflict and await help.

Children who lost their homes are staying in parks and caves and suffering from disease such as malnutrition. Many have been traumatized as they witnessed people close to them dead.

One girl named Yasmin, 12, said, "I saw my father die from gunshots. Everything has changed since he died." According to a survey by a research team at Bahcesehir University, three-fourths of child refugees have lost their families or friends, and one-third have been assaulted or shot. Hamma, the mother of a 19-month-old daughter, said, "The first word my daughter said was `explosion.` This is tragic."

Children are also being mobilized as porters or information providers in the war, with an 8-year-old boy taken to military groups to be used as a human shield, according to Save the Children. The Syrian civic group Human Rights Infringement Report Center said some 5,500 children have been killed in the two-year civil war, while more than 900 have been taken to military forces.

Children are also exposed to sexual violence. "More than half of sexual violence victims are children in troubled areas, and the situation is similar in Syria,” said Justin Forsyth, chief executive of Save the Children.

will71@donga.com