In Pictures
In Pictures: Aleppo’s children hard at work
The brutality of three years of civil war has taken its toll on the young in Syria’s largest city.
Aleppo, Syria – As the conflict in Syria nears the end of its third bloody year, the consequences for children in the country have been disastrous. The civil war has killed 130,000 people, driven millions from their homes, and devastated entire cities.
While there are more than one million child refugees outside of Syria, inside the war-ravaged country about four million continue to struggle with daily life. An estimated 10,000 children have already died in the conflict.
As local economies crashed and with education disrupted, some two million children are not in school and many have been forced to work to help support their families.
According to the Child Protection Working Group, many working children are doing so to repay family debts. Some kids must ensure they and their families have food to eat.
In different areas of Syria’s largest city Aleppo – 310 kms northwest of the capital Damascus – children are involved in many different forms of labour, from selling vegetables, bread and other much-needed food, to collecting metal scrap and working in mechanic shops.
On a recent trip to Aleppo, one child was seen selling goods after losing her father in a bombing, while another two peddled donuts. What all children here have in common is desperation.
