The Future of Syrian Children: Hopes and Challenges

The future of Syrian children represents one of the greatest humanitarian challenges of our time. After years of war, displacement, and destruction, millions of children live in extremely difficult conditions, deprived of their most basic rights to life, education, and healthcare. As we look to the future and reflect upon it, we, at the Family Affairs Office along with our Syrian national partners from various elite segments, bear the responsibility for our children—the generation of the future, the essence of our nation, and the core of the Syrian people.

Challenges Facing Syrian Children:

The primary challenge is the war and its aftermath, which shakes the nature and mindset of societies. Beyond this, there are several challenges our children face that we aim to highlight in order to help overcome them:

1. Psychological trauma: Syrian children suffer from deep psychological scars as a result of the violence they have witnessed, the loss of family members, homes, friends, and schools.
2. Poverty and deprivation: Many Syrian children live in extreme poverty, suffer from malnutrition, and lack basic services. Breadwinners of families face significant unemployment and, if they find work, earn a meager wage of no more than $5 per day.
3. Disrupted education: The war has destroyed schools and displaced teachers, leading to the interruption of education for millions of children. We have tried to address this issue through our “Tawad Schools” as part of our efforts to help students who have dropped out of school.
4. Child marriage and labor: In a field study conducted by our office, we found that many families seek to marry off their daughters or force their sons to work to secure a livelihood. According to our study, the rate of child marriage under the age of 18 has reached 80% in some areas of northern Syria, and child labor approaches 70%, with low wages, weak purchasing power, and limited job opportunities leading employers to hire children, especially those aged 10 to 17, due to their lower cost compared to older workers.

Hopes for the Future:

Despite these great challenges, there is still hope for a better future for Syrian children. The world is watching the suffering of these children, and many efforts are being made to help them, including our initiatives at the Family Affairs Office of the Syrian Future Movement (SFM). Among the key hopes are:

1. Providing education: Many international and local organizations are working to provide education for Syrian children, both inside Syria and in refugee-hosting countries, although the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have reduced this support. Nevertheless, we strive to keep it going.
2. Psychological support: Psychological support programs are offered to help children overcome the trauma they have experienced.
3. Child protection: Human rights organizations work to protect children from violence and exploitation and provide legal assistance to them.
4. Resettling refugees: Some countries are working to resettle Syrian refugees, particularly Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, although the numbers fall short of expectations. This provides a more stable life for the children.
5. Rebuilding Syria: Once the war ends, it will be essential to rebuild Syria and create a better future for the coming generations.

Efforts:

There are tremendous efforts being made by kind-hearted individuals to support Syrian children. Among the leading efforts are those by the international community. However, the international community still bears a great responsibility towards Syrian children. Countries and international institutions must increase their support for humanitarian programs in Syria, ensure the protection of children, and work towards a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

As for our role as Syrian elites, we have not fallen short, each contributing in their own place and capacity. Every individual can also contribute to supporting Syrian children by:

1. Donating to humanitarian organizations, especially from expatriates and the wealthy. We can donate money or in-kind materials to organizations working to assist Syrian children.
2. Raising awareness of the plight of Syrian children on social media—something every concerned Syrian citizen can do—while encouraging others to contribute to supporting them.
3. Volunteering with organizations working with Syrian children, offering direct assistance. Our office in A‘azaz and Afrin is open to all volunteers and any ideas that can help us assist our children.

Conclusion:

The future of Syrian children depends on all our efforts. We must work together to provide protection and care for these emerging generations and help them build a better future for themselves and their country. As for the Syrian Future Movement (SFM), despite its purely Syrian efforts and its non-Syrian funding, and the dedication of its volunteers, we view all this with humility, recognizing it is insufficient in the face of the ordeal facing our people, especially Syrian children. We call on every Syrian to stand with us in a national project aimed at protecting our children from the harsh consequences of war.

Afraa Al-Haddad
Family Affairs Office
Research and Studies Department
Articles
Syrian Future Movement (SFM)