Regime Kill Our Children.. Its Media Promotes A Plan Aiming To Save Childhood From Soldiering

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“Childhood and peace”, are covers which the Syrian regime uses always in its media to prove regime’s keenness and care about the future of Syria represented in Syria’s lost generation. According to the “al-Ba’ath” pro- regime newspaper which recently published that there was an international plan to save childhood and to prevent children soldiering operations, which would be implemented in next year onset through cooperation with international institutions and humanitarian organizations in order to reach all the children outside the country; calling media to raise awareness taking part in spreading the culture of children rights, the dangers of recruitment, and prevent exploiting innocence and violating childhood.
This is an issue to agree on, for children in Syria at all ages are the biggest stratum affected negatively in the past five years of war; they are growing up facing and going through displacement, bombardment and destruction, what childhood regime minister of media “Mohammad Ramiz Terjman” is talking about, where he pointed in a workshop to (banning enlisting children in fighting).
Initially and before suggesting any project whatever its goals are, we must detect the main reasons leading to the phenomena “soldiering children” and making them get involved in war. Probably the Syrians themselves are totally aware that conscripting children who are beyond puberty in opposion- held areas can be linked to the citizens’ suffering there from regime oppression using varied kinds of weaponry including fighting jets and helicopters to fight the Syrian people.
But the question arises here is “what drives those children to soldiering although it is not a wise decision whose effect is fatal to childhood and society as well?
As it is commonly known in all the advanced societies and even the developing ones, building and developing the society can be through concentrating the care on the children in the field of education and the practical life. However, regime which claims concern about the childhood has intensified the military campaigns on all the liberated areas in the northern of Syria and on Damascus rural targeting more than once schools crowds in them where the death toll was scores children, in addition to separate raids killing them under the rubbles while being at home.
Considering that, citizens are no longer sending their kids to schools; so that children beyond puberty between 14 and 17 years become without purpose or education but with one option to join the war that surrounding them. It is normal they choose soldiering because of the situation found by regime, getting along with it. Joining the fight become an obsession to them despite being young.
Regime should better highlight the suffering of children and the burdens they were forced to bear despite their young age; some of them become the breadwinner of the family after losing the father, others are living in nylon tents while others are displaced without a education or Home. To be fair, regime takes responsibility of their loss and tendencies for soldiering and getting involved in the conflict.
By Samah Alkhaled
Translated by Sabah Najem
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