Children in War-torn Syria Risk their Lives to Go to School

NEW YORK (October 21, 2016) – With the start of the school year in Syria, over 1.7 million children remain out of school and another 1.3 million are at a risk of dropping out, according to new education data.[1]

Escalating violence, displacement, increased poverty, and an overstretched and under-resourced education system continue to force children out of school, denying them of their right to education.

Across the war-torn country, one in three schools cannot be used because they are either damaged, destroyed, sheltering the internally displaced or are being used for military purposes. Since the war began in 2011, there have been over 4,000 attacks on schools.

“In Syria, children are risking death to go to school. In the past two weeks, nine school-children, aged as young as five, lost their lives in two separate attacks on or near schools,” says Hanaa Singer, UNICEF’s Representative in Syria. “School should not be a death trap. It should a place where children are protected and able to learn, grow, and develop their skills.”   

In September this year, UNICEF and partners launched a back-to-learning campaign to reach 2.5 million children with school supplies and text books, including 200,000 children living under siege and in hard-to-reach areas. More than 1,200 UNICEF-supported young volunteers are going door-to-door to reach out-of-school children including through alternative learning opportunities.

UNICEF’s work with partners and thanks to generous donors support in education is paying off.  A recent assessment shows a drop in the number of out-of-school children from 2.1 million in 2014/15 to 1.7 million in 2015/16.[2]

“This is significant progress but is not enough. We need to invest much more so that every child in Syria is in school,” says Singer. 

“We urge all parties to the conflict to protect children, schools and all civilians in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law.”

About UNICEF
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

For more information, contact:
Sophie Aziakou, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 917.720.1397, saziakou@unicefusa.org