Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism – UNOCHA reported, as the conflict in Syria reaches its tenth year this month, the losses and effects are staggering. Almost 5 million children born in Syria since the conflict began have never known peaceful times, and a million more Syrian children were born as refugees in neighbouring countries.*
Human suffering continues to rise, civilian infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed on a massive scale, and an economic collapse over the past 18 months has driven food prices and hunger to their highest levels since the World Food Programme began monitoring food prices in 2013.
These numbers provide a snapshot of the 10-year Syria conflict.
264
The number of humanitarian aid workers reported killed between March 2011 and 2020. Another 922 medical personnel were reported killed during the conflict following aerial bombardments, shelling, kidnappings and shootings. These figures represent only recorded incidents, so they must be considered a minimum.
13 million
The number of Syrians forced to flee their homes in the last 10 years. This is more than 60 per cent of the country’s estimated population. Of these 13 million people, 6.6 million are Syrian refugees, who account for one fourth of the world’s total refugee population.An additional 7 million Syrians are internally displaced–the world’s largest population of internally displaced people.
13.4 million
The number of people in Syria who need humanitarian aid. This is more than three times the number of people in need identified by OCHA at the end of 2012. Humanitarian agencies aim to provide emergency life-saving assistance to 10.5 million of the 13.4 million people in need this year.
2.5 million
The number of children out of school in Syria. A third of the country’s schools cannot be used; they have been damaged or destroyed, are sheltering displaced families or being used for military purposes. Many children are also taken out of school to work or are forced into child marriage – both are negative coping mechanisms for families in crisis. The psychological distress suffered by children will have a profound and long-lasting impact on their prospects.
12
The number of hours some children work every day just to buy bread or a kilo of vegetables to support their families.
