Syria crisis: The stories of children caught in a conflict

The conflict in Syria has left two million children directly exposed to the horrors of war, according to charity Save the Children.

As the conflict enters its third year, children are increasingly being put in the frontline by fighters who use them as human shields, runners and porters. Others are suffering disease, malnutrition and homelessness.

The charity's report, 'Under Fire: The impact of two years of conflict in Syria', highlights the experiences of some of these children told by the children themselves and their parents. Their names have been changed to protect their identities but their stories are all too real.

Yasmine, 12

"Most of the houses were being hit. We had to stay in one room, all of us. The other rooms were being hit... The shelling was constant, I was very scared.

"I felt so afraid. I knew we could not move from that one room. There were 13 of us... crammed into one room. We did not leave that room for two weeks. It was always so loud.

"My father left the room. I watched my father leave, and watched as my father was shot outside our home... I started to cry, I was so sad. We were living a normal life, we had enough food. Now, we depend on others. Everything changed for me that day.”

Noor, eight

"We were all scared. Because of the shelling, we were hiding in the bathroom and the kitchen. The shelling happened every day for a while... Every day, in the evening.

"This is what I remember of Syria. No, nothing good, no good memories. I remember how my uncle and my grandmother died, because I saw it... What do I remember of Syria? Blood. This is it.”


Ibrahim is nine. His mother and two older brothers died when their home came under attack:

"When I heard shelling in Syria at night, it always woke me up. Sometimes I stood outside to see where the noise was coming from and sometimes it made me really afraid, so I just stayed inside. I used to tell my siblings they better stay inside because of the shelling.

"I miss the days my mum took me to the playground in Syria. My mum is dead, and my two older brothers too... They died from the shelling of our home. Nadeem was my brother and my best friend. I wish I can have fun with him and go to school with him again.

"I just wish they were still alive. It makes me want to go back to Syria. When I return, I want to visit their graves and say ‘I miss you’."

Naziha, 17, and a mother

"One evening I was at my house with my husband and I was holding my daughter in my arms, breastfeeding. We heard a noise outside. Something hit the house and I don’t remember anything after that... All I know is that after, I became disabled – I can’t move my arm or my leg. Now I can’t stand or sit without help.

"There were many people who were injured or who became disabled in Syria like this. This cannot go on. Someone should put an end to it. People are losing their children, brothers, parents. Some people are getting shot. Others are unable to leave the country. Children in Syria are dying, or becoming disabled like I was. Until when will this keep going?”

Hiba - a grandmother

"I wasn’t thinking; I just wanted to protect my children. I didn’t want anything else. I wasn’t even thinking; I just wanted to keep my children safe. If I die it is fine... but not my children. I want to keep them safe...

"Syria is our country and we want to go back there. We don’t know who is right and who is wrong, but I know we civilians are paying the price."

Um Ali has three children

"There has been no school for two years. Because of this, my son missed his baccalaureate, and my daughter missed her 11th grade. It’s too dangerous
to go to school – they are being shelled, and even if they are still there, you get shot at if you try to get there.

"My daughter, she is 16 and she loved school. She was the first in her class, and she wanted to become an architect. But this war...
we were too worried for her. We could not protect her, so we had to marry her. I know that men are hurting women, old women, single women – everyone. We needed her to have a protector.

"We couldn’t let her go outside at all. And if someone comes inside your house, you cannot defend yourself as just a woman. If they come in, what will her father do? Sit aside and watch? They were attacking women. Her father told her this is the only solution. There are no schools. One year, two years, no schools. What about marriage? ‘Your cousin is a good man, take him, he is good.’ So she said ‘As you wish’. But she did not want to get married, she wanted to study. But there were no more schools. So... she was married. This is happening a lot within Syria, many women I know are marrying their daughters – even younger than 16 – to protect them.

"What do people need most? People in Syria need everything. They need help, they need to be saved. People are dying. People are dying and there is slaughter and the rest of the world is just watching. There is no help from outside. They keep holding meetings and that’s it. They are just... watching. We are calling for them, but no one is listening."