Published : 06-10-2019
Residents of Daraa Camp for Palestinian refugees, voiced deep concerns over their children’s safety due to the spread of unexploded war remnants across and around the camp.
A couple of days earlier, Palestinian child Yamen Musalmeh died after a mysterious object went off in AlMenshiya neighborhood. A few months ago, Palestinian refugee Mahmoud Fadi AlDerbi was pronounced dead following the explosion of a mysterious object while he was playing outdoors in Daraa.
Last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF called for concerted international action in response to the devastating health consequences of explosive hazards in Syria, saying more than 8 million people were exposed to explosive hazards in Syria, including over 3 million children.
Available data by WHO indicates that in 2017, at least 910 children were killed and 361 children were maimed in Syria, including by explosive remnants of war and victim-activated improvised explosive devices. In the first 2 months of 2018 alone, 1,000 children were reportedly killed or injured in intensifying violence.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said that, each year, large numbers of civilians are killed and injured by explosive remnants of war, such as artillery shells, mortars, grenades, bombs and rockets, left behind after an armed conflict.
For the civilians and communities in war-affected Syria, the presence of these weapons represents an ongoing threat. Many innocent civilians, including Palestinian refugees, have lost their lives and limbs by disturbing or inadvertently coming into contact with explosive remnants of war. These weapons have also hindered reconstruction and threatened economic livelihood. Houses, hospitals and schools cannot be rebuilt until such weapons are cleared.
Local communities often have no means of dealing with the problem themselves. Most do not have the technical capacity or the resources to clear explosive remnants of war safely and few have the resources needed to deal with the psychological, medical and rehabilitative needs of victims.
Residents of Daraa Camp for Palestinian refugees, voiced deep concerns over their children’s safety due to the spread of unexploded war remnants across and around the camp.
A couple of days earlier, Palestinian child Yamen Musalmeh died after a mysterious object went off in AlMenshiya neighborhood. A few months ago, Palestinian refugee Mahmoud Fadi AlDerbi was pronounced dead following the explosion of a mysterious object while he was playing outdoors in Daraa.
Last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF called for concerted international action in response to the devastating health consequences of explosive hazards in Syria, saying more than 8 million people were exposed to explosive hazards in Syria, including over 3 million children.
Available data by WHO indicates that in 2017, at least 910 children were killed and 361 children were maimed in Syria, including by explosive remnants of war and victim-activated improvised explosive devices. In the first 2 months of 2018 alone, 1,000 children were reportedly killed or injured in intensifying violence.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said that, each year, large numbers of civilians are killed and injured by explosive remnants of war, such as artillery shells, mortars, grenades, bombs and rockets, left behind after an armed conflict.
For the civilians and communities in war-affected Syria, the presence of these weapons represents an ongoing threat. Many innocent civilians, including Palestinian refugees, have lost their lives and limbs by disturbing or inadvertently coming into contact with explosive remnants of war. These weapons have also hindered reconstruction and threatened economic livelihood. Houses, hospitals and schools cannot be rebuilt until such weapons are cleared.
Local communities often have no means of dealing with the problem themselves. Most do not have the technical capacity or the resources to clear explosive remnants of war safely and few have the resources needed to deal with the psychological, medical and rehabilitative needs of victims.
