More than 11,000 children killed in Syrian conflict: Report

More than 11,000 children have died in Syria over the last two years – some even tortured or targeted by snipers – according to a new report.

Released Sunday by the Oxford Research Group, the report says 11,420 children age 17 and under have been killed during the Syrian conflict between March 2011 and August 2013.

The report, Stolen Futures: The Hidden Toll of Child Casualties in Syria,  says explosive weapons were the main cause of death for children in Syria, at 71 per cent; small arms fire accounted for more than a quarter of the total deaths.

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“This study shows why explosive weapons should never be used where children live and play, how older children quickly become targets in a war and even the youngest suffer its worst abuses,” said co-author Hamit Dardagan in a statement.  “The world needs to take a much closer interest in the effects of the conflict on Syria’s children.”

The data collected for the Stolen Futures study was taken from Syrian civil society-sourced databases that have been cited by the United Nations.

In a statement co-author Hana Salama said that aside from the staggering number of children killed what is disturbing about the findings of the report is the way children in Syria are being killed.

“Bombed in their homes, in their communities, during day-to-day activities such as waiting in bread lines or attending school; shot by bullets in crossfire, targeted by snipers, summarily executed, even gassed and tortured,” she said. “All conflict parties need to take responsibility for the protection of children, and ultimately find a peaceful solution for the war itself.”

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The report adds to the already bleak picture emerging from Syria where the civil conflict has already claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people and displaced more than 2 million.

An in-depth look at the report’s finding:

•  71 per cent of child deaths were caused by explosive weapons.
•  Small arms fire accounted for 26 per cent, including children who were executed or targeted by snipers.
•  764 children were recorded as summarily executed; 112 of those children were also reported to have been tortured.
• Boys were twice as likely to be targeted, especially boys aged 13 to 17.
• The cities of Aleppo and Daraa had the highest child casualty numbers
• 128 children were reported killed in the August 21 chemical weapons attack in Ghouta, near Damascus.