The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, today condemned what children are being exposed to in northwestern Syria, and affirmed that they are "trapped between violence, freezing cold and lack of food."
The organization said, in a statement, that "the severe violence in northwestern Syria has led to the displacement of more than 500,000 children since December 1, 2019."
The statement quoted UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Four as saying: "In no way can the situation in the northwest be justified, even within the context of the crisis in Syria."
She noted that "children and families are trapped between violence, freezing cold, food shortage and miserable living conditions, at the same time", and stressed that "such a severe disregard for the safety and well-being of children and families is outside the limits of acceptable behavior, and it must not continue."
The organization indicated that it continues to work with partners to provide life-saving assistance to needy families, as well as work to check and treat malnutrition, and provide education and psychosocial support, as well as the provision of vaccinations, especially for children who have not previously received vaccines.
"It is time for the guns to shut up, and for the violence to stop now, and forever," she said.
For his part, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, said that the crisis in northwestern Syria has reached a horrific new level, adding that "900,000 people have been displaced since December 1, most of them women and children."
Lockook said that the displaced people «suffer from shock and are forced to sleep outside in freezing temperatures because the camps are full. Mothers burn plastic to keep babies warm. Young children die because of the cold. ”